Just A College Girl
by Forgotten Conscience
Summary: In the sequel to Just a Girl, Dawn has some important questions to answer about her future. Second in the "Coming of Age" series.
1. Choices

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 1**

Choices

_So many choices..._

Looking over the brochures spread out before me on the bed, I feel kind of lost. I take a deep breath to try and keep from going nuts.

_So many choices and no real answers, I'm graduating in a few months and I have no idea what I'm going to do. There are so many places I could go next year. I could go to a college nearby, or one far away. All of them have sent me brochures trying to get me to go to school with them. I guess that year I had all those problems didn't really hurt my grades after all. That's kind of a relief. Buffy and I were so worried that after I skipped all those classes and went nuts on my teachers for so long would keep me from getting a decent college education._

_It was just that so much happened in that year and a bit. Finding out I was The Key and wondering if a hell god was going to kill me, my mother getting sick and nearly dying. Then after getting better for a while she actually died. I didn't think I would ever be able to deal with that. I mean, she's my mother. She kept me safe and warm all my life. Took care of me when I was sick and helped me with any and all questions I had about anything. After she died, I felt like I had no one I could count on. And just when I thought I could trust Buffy the same way I trusted my mom, Glory came after me, trying to end the world._

_If that wasn't bad enough, Buffy ended up having to jump off Glory's tower and kill herself to save the world. When my mom died, I thought I was alone. But when Buffy died and came back to life, I found a whole new level of loneliness that I never knew existed. She just wasn't around enough for me to feel like I could come to her and talk to her about all the things that were bothering me. It wasn't until just before everything started happening with The First that we started talking and I realized why she was never around._

_Now things are better though. Buffy and I have found a way to actually talk without yelling at each other. It took us a while. We weren't exactly on the best of terms after Sunnydale became a hole in the ground. And I know that Buffy finding out about me and Faith didn't help, but we've actually managed to figure out how to talk to each other. She's really come to accept the fact that Faith and I are in love and happy. I wasn't sure that it would happen at first, especially after finding out about the history between Faith and my sister._

_They aren't in love though, and I feel so good knowing that. Faith loves me and only me. I couldn't be happier about that. She loves me and I love her. We've been together almost a year now and everything still feels as new as it did when we had our first kiss. She's shown me so many things. The kinds of things that until Faith I'd only ever heard about but never experienced. I couldn't have asked for a better teacher either. All the things that she's shown me have been so incredible. She does so much and made sure I knew exactly how to make her happy._

When I lean forward to pick up the brochure farthest away from me on the bed, I use one hand to pick it up and the other to run a hand through my hair and keep it out of my face before straightening up. The brochure is for Stanford University. It's got a nice bright picture of a college campus on the front. Opening it, I look over all the pictures and little slogans plastered across it.

_But nothing she's taught me can help me make this decision. I have to make this decision on my own, and I have no idea what it's going to be. This would probably be so much easier if I could go to a school for the occult or something, except there aren't any. Most of them don't even acknowledge that vampires and demons exist. Some of them have courses that study different cultures and stuff that talk about Wicca, but it's mostly in passing before they move on to 'more important' things._

_Giles offered to tutor me personally while I studied to become a watcher, but Buffy wants me to get a real education at a real school first. Apparently I need to experience the college lifestyle and learn to expand my mind. Personally I think my mind is just fine the way it is. Faith wants me to get a college education too. It's one of the few things that my sister and my girlfriend actually agree on when it comes to me. They want me to have all of the things that they never got to have for one reason or another. So I guess I have to get one. The two people I love more than anything else in the world want what's best for me. There isn't much I can do to argue against that, or them. No matter how much I might want to._

I let the brochure fall onto the bed and drop my head into my hands in frustration.

_Now if only I could figure out where I'm going to go to get what's best for me._

The bedroom door opens slightly and I look up to see Faith coming through with a smile on her face. She makes her way to the bed wearing her usual nightwear, her naked skin.

"How's it going, any breakthroughs yet?"

All I can do is shake my head and sigh as she sits down next to me on the bed.

"Nope..."

Her smile becomes a sympathetic look.

"Well, maybe you should pack it in for the night. You've still got a couple of months to decide. No reason to force a decision yet."

My girlfriend holds out one of the two glasses she has in her hands.

"Here... have some of that water you asked for."

Taking the glass from Faith, I put it to my lips and taste the incredible refreshment inside.

_Mmm, this is exactly what I needed right now._

After a few sips I look at Faith and smile.

"Better?"

I take a deep breath and nod my head at the same time.

"Much... you always know exactly how to make me feel good."

The woman I love gets this mischievous grin on her face that I always find so sexy.

"You better believe it."

She leans into me slowly and we kiss passionately. It's slow and soft and I love every moment of it. We finally break apart after a while and I just know I have a grin on my face now.

"I think you're right... the world isn't going to end if I put off choosing a college for a week or two."

Faith takes my cup from me sets both glasses down on her nightstand so they're out of the way.

"It better not, because otherwise I'd have to go stop it."

We smile at each other as I wrap my arms around her neck and she snakes her arms out around my waist between my t-shirt and panties.

"Well if it happens, we can let Buffy handle it. Tonight I want you all to myself."

She chuckles as I pull her forward and lean back at the same time, pulling her onto the bed with me.

"Now there's a plan."

It isn't long before I'm lying on my back and Faith is climbing on top of me, brushing my college applications to the floor.

_That's probably the only plan I'll be having for the near future._

...  
B.R.E.A.K.  
...

The alarm clock blares in my ears and I squeeze my eyes shut because it woke me up.

_No... I don't wanna wake up._

I roll into the warm body beside me and wrap my arms around her waist, getting as much body contact as I can while lying next to her. She stirs in my arms and I know she's awake now too. Hitting the alarm's snooze button, she shifts towards me.

"Dawn... you awake yet?"

My eyes stay closed and I don't move.

"No..."

She chuckles and I feel her hand gently brush the hair out of my face.

"So I guess that means you're talking in your sleep now?"

"Yes..."

This time there's a little more of a laugh from her and I can't help but smile myself.

"Come on Dawnie, we gotta get up."

Faith tries to move away to get up but I tighten my grip on her waist, keeping our bodies pressed together so she can't get away.

"I don't wanna."

My slayer girlfriend puts her hand under my chin and brings my head up so that we'd be looking into each other's eyes if I didn't have mine closed. She kisses me sweetly on the lips and I open my eyes as the kiss ends. The look in her eyes is happy and loving.

"I know Dawn, I don't really want to either. But you've got school and I've gotta get to work."

Hearing her say that makes me groan in frustration.

"How about we don't and say we did?"

I lean into Faith a little more, letting my thigh rub against hers seductively.

"We could just stay in bed all day and... have breakfast."

She rubs up against me appreciatively, that feral look I love so much on her face. We share another kiss, this one long and drawn out but no less filled with passion. A low growl deep in her throat escapes her lips when the kiss finally ends.

"As much as I know, we would both love to do that... you know we can't."

_Why did she have to say that last part? I don't like that last part one bit._

Faith reaches up and caresses my cheek lovingly. Then with one final short kiss, she puts some distance between us on the bed and gets up.

_She is right though. We have to get up and actually do things._

I roll over and sit up on the edge of the bed, stretching a little before I stand. Combing my hands through my hair to straighten it out as much as I can, I look over the floor to find my clothes.

"So do you wanna take the first shower or should I?"

Our eyes meet as I turn around at her question to see her tying her robe around her waist. It isn't tied tightly though so it shows off the valley between her breasts and a good portion of her stomach. The sight of her puts a smile on my face and I just know I'm not gonna give up on this.

"Why bother choosing? We could save water by washing each other."

She grins as she makes her way over to me. On her way, she picks up my t-shirt and holds it out to me when I get in range.

"Nice try ya little vixen, but that's how we ended up taking the day off last time. And if I remember right, we didn't exactly save much water that day."

I grin at her while I respond.

"I know... that's why I suggested it."

My sexy as hell girlfriend throws my shirt in my face, blinding me for the split second it takes me to get it off. She grabs me by the shoulders and turns me towards the door, smacking me playfully on the butt to get me to move.

"You go first sweet cheeks. I'll make us something to eat while you're busy."

I start making my way out of the bedroom and towards the shower, scoffing at her happily as I go.

"When did you become the queen of responsibility?"

Faith yells out from the bedroom at me.

"Right about the time I fell head over heels for a delinquent like you. Now get in the shower so we can have breakfast."

For some reason I just have to skip the last step into the bathroom.

_I don't think I could feel happier if I tried._

**End of Chapter 1**


	2. Unnecessary Breaks

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 2**

Unnecessary Breaks

I take a deep breath and look at myself in the mirror.

_Everything looks okay to me. I guess I'll just wait for the others now._

Looking over at Candy, Tess and Carmen next to me, I turn away from the mirror and lean against the sink. The three of them are still looking in their respective mirrors, checking their make up.

_You know, I never would've thought that the four of us would become friends the way we have. It wasn't more than a year ago that Candy hated my guts with a vengeance. She used to come after me with deadly accuracy every time we were in speaking distance. She was meaner than a werewolf on LSD a lot of the time. The way she used to have all sorts of insults and jabs to attack me with whenever she could. Sometimes she'd even run into me 'by accident' just to piss me off._

_Not that I was all that nice to her either. But that was mostly because she kept pushing me first. Every time she threw an insult my way or did something just to piss me off, I wanted to smack her. Teach her a lesson that would wipe that smile off her face. Then I finally got my chance. When Faith came up with the idea to have Willow give me slayer powers for a day, I gave her an ass kicking like she'd never had before. I still remember sometimes how it felt to be a slayer. All that power, all the speed and agility that comes with being a slayer. It was a great feeling. I kinda get why Candy was such a bitch for so long._

_Who wouldn't be a bitch with those kinds of feelings running through you twenty-four hours a day? Buffy used to be that way back in Sunnydale. She got better though, especially after everything that happened with Angel, and now so has Candy. Thankfully it didn't take a cursed vampire ex-boyfriend rampaging through the town to get Candy to be a better person, just me and a little help from the scythe and Willow. Now we're almost like the best of friends. All four of us are like the best of friends._

"God that class was boring."

I look over at Candy at her statement.

"Why does Mr. Sorkin have to be so boring when he teaches? Couldn't he do something more exciting to make the class more fun?"

Tess points out the obvious before I can.

"It's physics Candy. Exactly how exciting do you expect it to be?"

"I don't know, it's just hard to pay attention when he goes on and on in the same tone of voice for an hour and a half."

Carmen laughs a little.

"No one's forcing you to take it Candy."

That has me chuckling.

"No one except my sister..."

Candy looks at me, slightly upset.

"Come on Candy, you know that my sister isn't going to let you go to Cleveland and have Giles assign you a Watcher unless you have some understanding of magic."

"Yeah but isn't the whole point of magic that physics is a load of crap?"

_She may have become a nicer person over the last year or so, but she's still not the sharpest tool in the shed._

"Magic has consequences, just like physics. You can't do one thing without affecting another. Trust me. I saw my fair share of it in Sunnydale. You don't want to mess with it unless you know exactly what you're doing. And even then it usually comes back to bite you in the ass somehow."

Candy turns her attention back to the mirror in front of her with a huff of frustration.

"Still doesn't help me with the fact that Mr. Sorkin is so massively boring."

Carmen asks the question I know is coming.

"Maybe Dawn could talk to her girlfriend. Convince her to let you drop the course?"

I roll my eyes at Candy as she finishes with her make up and turns around to wait for Carmen and Tess.

_Sometimes I just know it was a bad idea to tell them I was dating one of their teachers._

"You know that's not gonna happen guys."

"Oh come on Dawn, you did it before. That time you got her to cancel our training session so we could go partying. All you'd have to do is whatever you did then."

"Well, yeah, but that's cause I wanted to go out partying and you guys were all stuck with training. I got something out of that."

Candy grins at me evil-like.

"Yeah I bet you got something out of it."

I laugh a little and shove her playfully on the shoulder.

"Shut up... this is totally different. I'm not gonna get you out of a class that you know you need to take."

The four of us fall into a happy silence.

_Plus if I started coming to Faith for every little thing my friends didn't feel like doing, she might start thinking that's the only reason we're together, which couldn't be further from the truth. I'm with her because I love her._

"Okay then, but speaking of being whipped. Are you coming to Slash with us tonight or not?"

_What's that supposed to mean?_

"What do you mean, speaking of being whipped am I coming?"

Carmen and Tess finish touching up their make up and look at me.

"What do you think it means?"

"I am SO not whipped."

"Then you're coming?"

_Hmm, Faith and I did kinda wanna do something together tonight. And Buffy wanted to have one of her family dinners tonight. I'm sure I can get out of it though. Faith and I went to a movie together last night, and Buffy always wants to have family dinners. We can do it tomorrow or something. I don't think it'll be that big of a deal._

"Yeah, I am."

"Good..."

The five minute bell rings and we all look up, knowing we have to get to class. We head out of the bathroom.

"We were thinking about seven o'clock, you gonna be able to make it?"

"Yeah, I will. See ya then."

All of us head off to our lockers to get our books and head to class.

...  
B.R.E.A.K.  
...

Every part of me tingles as we make out on her couch. Grinding my hips into hers under me, I really get into it. Her arms wrap themselves around my stomach, keeping our bodies firmly pressed together while we kiss. Air quickly becomes an issue though and I pull away. She smiles up at me.

"So, you're sure it's okay?"

A chuckle escapes her and the feel of her body under me really turns me on.

"Of course babe..."

"Because I know we were gonna spend time together tonight, and I feel bad for wanting to cancel our plans."

Her smile turns into a grin and she uses one hand to brush some of my hair out of my face.

"It's fine Dawn… I'm not your mother. If you wanna go out and have fun without me, go right ahead."

"You're sure?"

Faith leans up into me and kisses me sweetly.

"Yes... go..."

When she says that, I lean forward and kiss her as deeply as I can. She kisses me back with just as much passion.

"Thank you..."

"No problem... I'll probably just go out on patrol or something. I've been putting it off this week anyway."

_Mmm..._

"Ooh... I know how you get after patrolling. Maybe I'll cut the clubbing short and be here when you get back."

She wraps her left leg around mine, bringing our crotches together... if not for the fact that we're both fully clothed on this couch. We kiss passionately for a while.

"I wouldn't say no. Your sister might, but I definitely wouldn't."

Both of us laugh a little at her joke.

"Well I just might do that then."

Our lips come together again as we go back to making out heavily.

_I love kissing Faith. It's one of my favorite things to do with her. At least it's one of my favorite things we can do together with all of our clothes on. Her lips are so soft and kissable._

She slides her tongue along the underside of my top lip and I open my mouth to let her in.

_Faith always knows exactly what to do to get my motor running. It's amazing. The way she touches me, I just wanna rip her clothes off every time we get near each other, which isn't the best idea, especially when Buffy invites Faith over for dinner. We can't ever really keep our hands off each other. The second Buffy turns her back or leaves the room for any reason Faith and I are all over each other. I remember this one time, she came back and I was in Faith's lap with her hand up my shirt. It was kind of embarrassing. But that's just the way things are with me and Faith._

I feel her hands run their way up my back, her nails dragging themselves lightly over my skin under my shirt before she brings them back down and grabs my ass with both hands. That has me circling my hips against hers, forcing a moan out of both of us.

_I'd be ripping her clothes off right now... if I didn't have to leave in a minute. Buffy will complain if I show up late. She's still expecting a family dinner tonight. I have to get home before she does or I won't have enough time to convince her to let me go to Slash tonight._

We stop kissing when oxygen becomes a problem and I look down at her.

"You wanna stay? I could make it worth your while."

Hearing her say that makes me bite my bottom lip at the temptation. Her hands rub my butt, making me gasp.

"Mmm... I want to. Really I do baby. But I can't. If I do, I'm not gonna have enough time to get out of dinner with Buffy."

She kinda growls at me in happy frustration.

"Your sister really is stubborn isn't she?"

I laugh.

"Yeah..."

Then I lean in and kiss her one last time before climbing off her. Faith sits up on the couch as soon as I'm upright and my butt stings when I feel her smack me. She smiles when I look at her.

"Sorry babe, it's just that every time I get a look at that ass I have to get a piece of it."

That turns my smile into a grin and I make my way around her couch towards the door. Faith stands up and follows me. We get to the door and I feel her arms wrap themselves around my neck and pull me back against her. The feel of her body against mine makes me feel good. She brings her lips to my ear.

"So, I'll see you tonight?"

I reach up and touch her arm, stroking it gently.

"Oh yeah..."

"Okay... go deal with your sister."

_Well that just brought the mood right down._

She lets me go and I turn around while she opens the door for me.

"All right, I'll see ya."

We lean into each other and kiss goodbye.

"See ya DK..."

Then I turn and leave my girlfriend's apartment.

_Now all I have to do is deal with my sister._

**End of Chapter 2**


	3. Arguments you Regret

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 3**

Arguments You Regret

The door clicks shut behind me and I throw my school bag on the floor out of the way of the door.

"Dawn? Is that you?"

I hear her voice and I kinda dread what's about to happen.

"Yeah, it's me."

Buffy comes in from the kitchen with a smile on her face.

"I'm glad you're home."

She walks right up to me and gives me a hug. There's a long moment of silence where we just enjoy each other's company like we always do and then we pull away.

"How was school?"

"Oh you know... it was school."

That gets a laugh out of her.

_I should probably try my best to get as many of those as possible. She's not gonna be laughing soon._

"Yeah, I do know."

She starts walking back towards the kitchen.

"Did you go see Faith after school?"

"Mhmm... I wanted to talk to her about something."

"Oh yeah? Well I'm sure you both got a LOT of talking done."

_Ugh..._

"Okay, I REALLY didn't need to hear that."

She laughs. I follow her into the kitchen and feel nervous that I'm about to disappoint her.

"So... what did you want to talk to Faith about?"

"Just about our plans tonight..."

Our eyes meet as Buffy raises an eyebrow at me.

"Do I even want to know about this?"

An uncomfortable silence falls on us for a second.

"I wanted to tell her that Candy and the girls asked me to go clubbing tonight. And I said yes..."

"Oh... when are you going?"

"Seven..."

"Dinner won't be ready until seven Dawn."

"I know."

My sister stops what she's doing and faces me, crossing her arms over her chest, a not so happy look obvious on her face.

"Wait... so you're blowing off dinner?"

_This is going really well._

"I'm not blowing it off. I just want to go out with my friends instead."

She stares at me for a few moments.

"Otherwise known as blowing off dinner..."

I scoff at her.

"Come on Buffy, it's not like I've never done it before. There was that whole couple month period last year where I barely came to dinner at all because I was out clubbing. It's just, now I'm actually asking if I can go out instead of blowing it off. What's your damage?"

Buffy sighs heavily.

"My 'damage' is that you're going out clubbing instead of staying home and having dinner. Plus, we haven't been spending a lot of time together lately and that bothers me."

When she says that, I can't help but feel bad for going off on her.

"We've grown apart since you started dating Faith and everything. It bothers me that we don't spend enough time together."

There's a short pause in her before she continues.

"Dawn you're, you're going away to school next year and I'm worried that we're going to drift further apart when you do."

Moving closer to her, I run a hand through my hair as I take a deep breath.

"Buffy, you don't have to worry about that. Things between us are fine, and I love you. We aren't going to drift apart. Besides, I'm not even sure I'm going anywhere."

She looks at me with a concerned expression.

"What do you mean Dawn?"

_What does she think I mean?_

"Well, I... I don't really know if I wanna go anywhere. Maybe I'll just stay here. I mean, there are a lot of good schools in the area."

My sister's concerned expression gets a little anger behind it.

"Yes but... but Dawn. Y-you have the grades to go anywhere you want. There are so many schools, all around the country where you could go. Why stay here?"

_If I tell her the real reason, she's gonna get mad and yell at me again, like last time._

"Because I don't want to go somewhere else, I've been somewhere else and it's not all that great. I wanna stay here, with you."

The look on her face slowly turns to the one she uses to yell at me.

_I gotta do something before she starts._

"Look, you don't want us to grow apart, and I don't want that either. If I stay here, it won't happen. We can stay here together and do all the embarrassing sister things you like us to do together. Plus, what if I go to school somewhere else and find out there's a hellmouth in that town? I don't wanna live on a hellmouth again. It's not fun."

There's a long moment where neither of us says anything and she just stares at me.

"It's Faith isn't it?"

_Yes..._

"What? No, it's not."

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't."

"Yes, it is. You don't want to go to an out of state school because you'll be away from Faith. That's why you're staying."

_Yes, it is._

"No, it's not."

"Yes it is."

"No, Buffy, it's not... but even if it was. What does it matter anyway? I thought you were okay with me and Faith."

Buffy takes a deep, frustrated breath.

"I am Dawn. You know that I am. Faith makes you happy and I'm happy for both of you. All I'm worried about is that you're going to give up a brilliant future for her. That's what bothers me."

_Giving up my future?_

"I'm not giving up anything Buffy. Like I said, the schools around here are good schools. I'll get the same education around here that I would anywhere else."

"Oh, really...?"

"Yes, really..."

"And what about Stanford?"

_Stanford?_

"What about it?"

My sister starts trying and failing to pace.

"Dawn, you know they're interested in you. They're one of the best schools in the country. You were even interested back when we first got the letter from them, but then you found out it was an out of state university and you got kind of iffy about it."

_God, why does she have to be so stubborn about this? It's not like this is the end of the world or something._

"I told you, I don't really wanna go out of state."

She shifts her weight as she continues to glare.

"Because of Faith..."

"NO! That's not it. Why won't you believe me when I say that?"

"Because I've been where you are Dawn. I know what you're going through. Angel and I went through the same thing. When I look at you, I worry that you're going to make the mistake that I almost made."

"Yeah well don't worry. I'm not you. I'm not that stupid."

Then I turn around and head straight for the front door.

"Dawn, wait..."

All I do is keep walking, right out the door.

...  
B.R.E.A.K.  
...

My whole body moves to the music as it pounds through the club, the sweat on my face dripping off me like a waterfall, making me feel good. Every beat coursing through my veins as I raise my arms above my head and let the music take me away.

_I really needed this. After the fight I had with Buffy, I could use some fun. She's just so stubborn and mean some times. I thought that we moved past this. I thought we could have a normal conversation without yelling at each other. It's been months since we had anything but a civil discussion about something that was bothering us. Now, suddenly I don't want to go to the college she wants and we're arguing. Why is it so important to her for me to go to Stanford?_

_What's at Stanford that I can't learn just as well somewhere close by? Somewhere that I can go to school and get an education and still be with Faith, that's what I want. I want to get an education and be with Faith. Why is that so hard for my sister to understand? Can't she just let me make my own decision about where I'm going to go? She tried to tell me how to make decisions last year, and it didn't work then. So why should she try now? What makes now different? I don't understand why she always has to be this way. It doesn't make any sense._

Candy, Carmen and Tess dance around me, enjoying the music as much as I am. We dance together almost like clockwork.

_I'm glad that my friends are with me tonight. This just wouldn't be the same without them. I need someone fun to spend time with. I thought about asking Faith to come with us, but the last time I did that it was kind of awkward. Candy and Carmen kinda had a problem getting comfortable around their teacher, which I guess I can understand. It probably feels about as natural as I'd feel if Buffy were out here partying with me. I'm never able to have any real fun with her around, even when we're getting along, which at this moment doesn't include now._

The song comes to an end and the four of us stop dancing. Our eyes meet briefly, trying to decide what to do. Before long, I throw my head back towards our table and head towards it. They follow me while we leave the dance floor. Candy decides to make conversation on the way.

"Geez Dawn, you were really tearing it up out there."

All I do is keep walking to our table, instead of responding. Tess does her concerned thing.

"Yeah, are you all right? You look like you're gonna fall over."

Again I don't really answer and drop into the booth to slide in as far as I could go.

_Well I do feel pretty tired all of the sudden. So they aren't exactly wrong about the falling over thing._

"Good thing I'm sitting down then isn't it?"

Candy sits beside me, so Carmen and Tess sit next to both of us respectively. She comes at me, pushing Tess' concern.

"Probably, you wanna get a drink or something?"

_A stiff drink would probably be good, but I'll hold off on that for now._

"Nah, I just wanna sit and relax for a minute."

We stay silent for a while, listening to the pounding music and watching the people on the dance floor. It doesn't last long though, as Carmen decides to take some initiative with her own concern.

"So what's going on then Dawn? Did you and Faith have a fight or something? Is that why you were pushing it on the dance floor like that?"

Hearing her ask that question makes me scoff, looking at her with a weird look.

"What? No... Faith and I never fight. Have you ever heard me talk about a fight Faith and I have had?"

The three of them look at each other, wondering about the answer. Tess is the first to give one.

"Not really..."

"That's because we don't. Faith and I don't fight."

They all kind of look at me for a second before Candy says something.

"Well something's got you nuts tonight, what is it?"

I take a long deep breath and sigh heavily.

_They aren't going to let this go._

"It's my sister."

"What did she do now?"

"She got on my case about how I don't want to go away to school. I'd rather just stay here and not spend money to live on campus."

"Oh..."

There's quiet around the table when no one knows what to say.

_It's about as easy for them to talk about Buffy as it is for them to talk about Faith. Of course, it's hard for me not to talk about them since they're such a big part of my life. They just have a problem with it because they don't really want to say anything bad about their slayer mentors._

"Yeah well, whatever the argument was about, you gotta slow down."

"Carmen's right, if you keep this up we're going to have to carry you home. And even though two of us have super-human strength, I don't want to have to use it like that."

I smile at all of them for a second.

"All right, I'll slow down... if one of you gets me a drink."

The three of them laugh at my request. Tess decides to move out of the booth.

"I'll get it. I was thinking of getting one anyway. Does anyone else want one?"

Carmen and Candy both speak up.

"Yeah, I could use a rum and coke."

"You can get me a vodka tonic if you want."

"All right, Dawn?"

_I could use something pretty strong I think. It'll probably slow me down some._

"Whiskey sour please, thanks..."

"Okay, I'll be back in a second."

Tess walks off towards the bar to get our drinks for us. Just as she does, I get a buzzing feeling on my hip.

_Damn, my phone. It's probably my sister, calling to apologize for being such a bitch._

Sitting back in the booth, I take my phone out of its holster and check the caller ID.

_Hmm, weird... why is Faith calling me? She should still be out patrolling around now._

I open up my phone and put the speaker to my ear, despite the noise around us.

"Hello?"

"_Dawn..."_

She says more than just my name but the music and noise drown it out.

"Faith? I can't... I can't hear you."

"_Dawn it-it's, your... B..."_

_What's she trying to say? I can't make it out. I've got to get somewhere quiet to hear her._

"Hold on Faith, I can't hear you. Hold on a sec."

Turning to Candy and Carmen as I slide out of the booth, I let them know what's going on.

"I'll be right back, it's Faith."

Once I'm out of the booth, I head straight for the bathroom, the closest place in the club that isn't noisy. As I go through the door, I put the speaker of my phone to my ear.

"Faith?"

"_Dawn? Can you hear me?"_

"Yeah, what's up? Why are you calling? Did you get lonely on your patrol? Want me to come over? I'm sure I could help you with that."

"_Dawn, it's Buffy."_

_Buffy?_

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"_She's in the hospital. We were out on patrol with a few of the other girls and were attacked by one hell of a demon."_

_Oh my god..._

"Is... is she all right? How bad is it?"

"_Don't go nuts Dawn. She's okay for the most part. The doctors say she has a couple bumps and bruises. They're checking her arm because they think it might be broken. But you should definitely come down to the emergency room as soon as you can."_

"O-of course. I'll leave right now."

"_Okay, I'll be here when you get here."_

"All right, I'm coming. Bye."

I don't wait for her to answer as I hang up my phone, heading straight back into the club. Tess has to stop, drinks in hand, when I almost run her over on my way to our table. She catches up to me as I grab my coat.

"Dawn, what's going on?"

"It's Buffy, she's hurt. She's in the hospital."

All three of them are shocked by the news.

"Oh my god!"

"Is she okay?"

"What happened?"

Candy and Carmen get out of their seats, getting their own coats.

"I'm, I'm not sure exactly. All I know is she's in the hospital because of a fight with some demon. I, I have to go."

Tess puts the drinks down on the table and gets her own coat, standing next to me.

"Of course, we'll come with you."

My two slayer friends agree with her.

"Yeah..."

"Totally... let's go."

We all turn and head for the door.

_I hope Buffy's all right._

**End of Chapter 3**


	4. If it's not broken, don't fix it

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 4**

If it's not broken, don't fix it

We make our way down the hall of the emergency ward, weaving through the people rushing the other way.

_Where is she? Where's my sister? She has to be somewhere. The nurse said she was supposed to be down this hallway. Or that she was going to be in one of these rooms soon. I wasn't really paying attention. The second she pointed in this direction I stopped caring what she had to say and just started running. In retrospect, I probably should've cared what she had to say but I just wanted to get to my sister so badly that I forgot to care._

_I hope it's not my fault that she got hurt. Buffy and I didn't exactly leave things on the best of terms earlier, which is mostly my fault. She just made me so angry when she wouldn't budge on where I was going to college next year. I didn't really think that she would go out slaying afterwards. She probably went out because of me. Buffy was pretty angry at me for wanting to stay here instead of going off to some big expensive school out of state. Sometimes when she's really angry she'll go out slaying to blow off some steam on any vamp or demon she can get her hands on._

_I don't really get it but then I'm not a slayer. Buffy probably went toe to toe with some big bad demon she couldn't handle on her own and ended up hurt because of it. God I don't know what I'll do if it's my fault she got hurt. Why couldn't she find some other non-violent way to work out her anger? It would save a lot on hospital bills to say the least._

About twenty feet in front of me, I catch a glimpse of Faith standing in the middle of the hallway, pacing uncomfortably.

_Thank god, she'll know where Buffy is and how she's doing._

"Faith!"

She looks around at hearing me call out her name and I raise my hand in the air over the doctors and nurses going about their business, waving to my girlfriend.

"Faith, over here!"

After a few moments, she notices me and sorta half smiles, making her way over to me. When she gets within arms length of me, she opens her arms and I run right into her. She has to take a step back when my momentum almost knocks her over, my arms wrapped around her with every ounce of strength in me. Her own arms are around me in seconds and holding me, making me feel better.

"Dawn..."

_I'm so glad she's here._

"Is Buffy all right?"

"She's fine Dawn."

Pulling back slightly, I look up at her.

"Really?"

"Yes, the doctors are just doing some x-rays to check her arm. It got messed up pretty bad during the fight but she's fine."

That has me taking a sigh of relief.

"Oh thank god..."

She uses one hand to cup my face and kisses me softly. The taste of her lips makes me feel a little less nervous about my sister being in the hospital. I bury my face in her shoulder as we continue to hold each other.

"She's all right Dawn. Everything's all right."

There are a few moments of silence where I get to enjoy the feel of her body against mine. Then Faith acknowledges my friends with me.

"Hey guys..."

Candy is the first to respond while I step back from Faith.

"Hi Faith, so Buffy's gonna be all right?"

I stand between Faith and my friends, holding Faith's hand while they talk.

"Looks that way, she's a pretty tough slayer, but then you guys know that already."

"Yeah she was like an animal out there."

My head turns to see Melissa and Claire coming up behind us, both of them looking roughed up and sporting nasty bruises on their faces. Claire even has a black eye. Melissa tries to smile despite the way she looks.

"She really took it to that thing, whatever it was."

_That's probably my fault._

Faith looks down at the floor for a second, like she's feeling guilty or something.

"I can't believe it got away."

_Geez, there were four slayers and they still didn't take it out? What the heck is this thing?_

"It got away?"

They all nod, disappointed. Candy, Carmen, Tess and I look at each other for a second in shock. My girlfriend is the first to answer.

"Yeah... I'm sorry Dawn."

Her hand squeezes mine and I see a look of regret on her face. I step into her space again and put my arm around her.

"It's all right. As long as everyone got out okay, that's the important thing."

We hold each other in the middle of the hospital hallway.

"I guess everything's all right then."

_That's her voice..._

Turning around, I see Buffy being wheeled towards us in a wheelchair by an orderly. The second I see her I let go of Faith and go to my sister. There's a sling on her left arm and her hair is all messy, but otherwise she looks okay.

"Buffy..."

I crouch down in front of my sister as the orderly stops the chair.

"Are you okay?"

She smiles at me because of my question.

"I'm fine."

Buffy lifts her left arm and looks at it for a split second before focusing back on me.

"A little worse for wear, but I'll survive. The doctors say I have a compound fracture in my forearm, but it'll heal."

That puts a smile on my face.

"Good, I'm glad."

A hand touches my shoulder and I look behind me to see Faith standing there. Her gentle touch lets me know that I should stand up, so I do, letting my eyes fall on the orderly's.

"When can we take her home?"

"You can take her home right now if you want to. Her bone has been set. She has to keep it in a sling for about four to six weeks until it heals but otherwise she's fine."

_Oh..._

"All right..."

Buffy stands up a little sluggishly.

"I'm ready when you guys are."

The orderly looks at us in a suspicious way.

"Shouldn't you be taking it easy in the wheelchair? You've just had a major accident."

We all get kinda nervous at his question, but Buffy takes the initiative and explains.

"Uh, no, I'll be okay. I'm a fast healer."

He seems to take that with a grain of salt.

"All right, but I hope I don't see you again soon Ms. Summers."

"You and me both... I'll be fine, don't worry."

The orderly turns around with the wheelchair and leaves us standing in the hospital hallway.

_I've got to ask the question._

"Are you really all right Buffy?"

"I'm okay Dawn. The bone will heal, probably in a couple of weeks, two at the most."

_She is a slayer so she's probably right. She won't need the sling for as long as the doctors say._

"So how are we getting home? I didn't bring my car to my ass kicking. Not that I could drive it in this condition."

Candy decides to speak.

"Well, the four of us took a cab here... we could always take a couple home."

"Now there's a plan."

Melissa butts in.

"Not me, my house is only two blocks from here. I'm going to walk."

We all look at her like she's crazy. Faith is the first to voice our concerns.

"Alone?"

She shakes her head.

"No, Claire and I were talking while we were waiting for Buffy to get her x-rays. We're going to watch each other's backs while that thing is out there. She's gonna stay over at mine for at least a couple days or so."

Buffy decides to issue one of her orders.

"Okay, don't go out hunting for this thing either. That goes for all of you. When we're back at full strength, we'll all go out together and take this thing out... strength in numbers. Whatever this thing is, it was stronger than a lot of the demons that Faith and I have come up against in our time as slayers. We don't want any of you going out there and getting yourselves killed."

The rest of the slayers around me all agree with the various sounds they make of approval.

"Good, then I guess the best thing to do now is to go home and get some rest. How does that sound?"

_After everything that's happened, I'm very tired. It'd be really good to go home and take a nap or something. I could go home with Faith, but I know I'd never get any rest if I did. Besides, Buffy needs me to help her with her injury._

"Well I know I could use some rest."

My sister smiles at me.

_Why does she keep smiling at me after the way I treated her? I feel horrible and she keeps smiling at me for being concerned about her. It's a little annoying._

"All right, let's get out of here."

We turn and make our way toward the exit. Faith takes my hand in hers and I squeeze gently.

_At least she's here with me to help me feel better._

...  
B.R.E.A.K.  
...

Buffy, Faith and I get out of the cab that just stopped in front of mine and Buffy's apartment. I help Buffy out of the car since she only has the one arm while Faith pays the cab driver.

"Dawn, I'm okay. You don't have to help me with absolutely EVERYTHING. It's just a fracture in my arm. If I had broken my leg or something, I could appreciate the help, but it's not."

"I know. I'm just worried that you'll do more damage to your arm if you don't take it easy."

There's a smile on her face for a second.

"That's sweet..."

_I just know I'm not gonna like what she's about to say._

"But leave me alone."

Her expression of amusement doesn't change. Faith comes up to me and puts her arm around my neck. She pulls me away from Buffy as we make our way toward mine and my sister's apartment.

"Yeah, why don't you let your sister pull her own weight for a change?"

"Gee, thanks Faith."

My girlfriend looks back at Buffy and smiles.

"Any time B."

We make our way up to the front door of the apartment building together. There's a long stretch of silence for a while until Faith opens the door for Buffy and me.

_Okay, well, we didn't really get a chance to talk about it before, so nows the best time._

"So, any idea what that demon was exactly?"

Faith shakes her head and I look back at Buffy who does the same before responding.

"Nope, never seen one of those before..."

The woman I love speaks up.

"Sounds like a job for the big English guy."

Faith, Buffy and I stop in front of the elevator and I press the button.

"Yeah, we should call him when we get in."

I feel Faith's breath tickle my ear as she whispers into it, making me giggle at her words.

"I'm so hot for you right now. That fight has me seriously wound up."

Ever so slightly, I turn to her, reaching out and touching her stomach. There's a tingle in me at the look in her eyes.

"Mmm..."

Buffy interrupts.

"Uh, hello... slayer hearing here... my arm might be hurt but I can hear just fine."

We turn to my sister, Faith's arm moving down to around my waist.

"Sorry B, but you know what your sister does to me."

She pulls me to her and I look at my girlfriend as she leans in to kiss me. The kiss quickly deepens and I moan into her lips, then the elevator bell rings.

"Okay, that's enough of that."

Buffy gets between us as she uses her right hand on my stomach and pushes me into the opening doors of the elevator. Then she grabs Faith and pulls her into the elevator too, but she shoves my girlfriend to the opposite side that I'm on, staying between us.

_Geez, when did she go nuts?_

She pushes the button for the third floor and the doors close, taking us up. My sister faces both of us as she speaks.

"Faith, you stay on your side. Dawn, you stay on your side... and please, don't get with the touchy feely stuff. If you do, I might just hurl."

Faith and I look at each other with confused looks on our faces.

_Something's wrong._

"Buffy, are you okay?"

She looks at me like I grew a second head.

"What? Yes, Dawn, I'm fine..."

My eyes meet Faith's across the elevator and I know she doesn't believe Buffy anymore than I do.

"Seriously B, you went a little insane on us there. What's up?"

A long silence passes in the elevator before Buffy takes a deep breath.

"I'm sorry... I, I don't know why I freaked out like that."

I leave my side of the elevator to stand next to my sister.

"I guess... it's just that, lately when you guys are always so love-y dove-y around each other. It really bugs the crap out of me."

Reaching out to her, I put my hand on Buffy's good shoulder.

"Why?"

Another long deep breath comes from my sister.

"Well, I... I haven't dated anyone since The Immortal in Rome. And I guess when I see you guys together as happy as you are, I'm a little jealous. I've never had something like you guys have. It's kind of depressing seeing my sister find something that I've been looking for a long time."

_God I feel so horrible for her. How could I be so insensitive?_

I put my arms around her comfortingly.

"I'm sorry Buffy... I didn't know."

Faith comes up next to us as the elevator door dings.

"Yeah, neither of us did. We didn't realize how much it was bothering you."

"It's all right. I probably shouldn't have overreacted that way, probably something to do with the fact that I just got pummeled by a demon too."

"Don't worry about it sis. No harm done and all that."

Letting go of the hug with one hand, I motion towards the open elevator. The three of us make our way out of the elevator onto the third floor. We walk towards mine and Buffy's front door.

"You know B, if you're feeling lonely, you could always do something about that."

_She's right._

"I don't know."

"You totally could Buffy, and we could totally help if you wanted us too."

My girlfriend and my sister both look at me like I've gone nuts.

"Well we could... we could go to Slash and, and we could pick out some hot young stud for you. Of course, you know he'd have to be smart and deep and a gentleman too. Can't have you getting involved with some big lug you'd have to kick the crap out of."

Buffy rolls her eyes at me.

"You're thinking way too much about this Dawn."

"She does have a point though B. It might do you some good to find someone to have a good time with."

Faith and I watch Buffy for a moment as she looks at both of us, stopping in front of our door.

"I don't know... maybe..."

That puts a smile on my face.

_Well, at least it's a start._

**End of Chapter 4**


	5. Finding Someone Special

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 5**

Finding Someone Special

"What about him?"

Buffy looks at the guy I'm pointing at, watching him for only a second before shaking her head. The guy is cute with slicked back brown hair and looks pretty built.

"Nah..."

_What?_

"Why not?"

She shrugs and takes a sip of her drink.

"He's not really my type."

My first instinct is to scoff at her.

"Come on Buffy, what's wrong with him? He's good looking, and the way he acts it seems like he actually reads. Go talk to him."

She shakes her head again.

"I don't want to."

"Why not? What is it that makes him not your type? He's not a vampire is he?"

My girlfriend speaks up.

"Actually Dawn, I think that would make him exactly her type."

Her comment has us both smiling, while Buffy glares back.

"I'm not dating any more vampires. Besides, how do you know he's not one?"

Immediately, I look to Faith and she shakes her head, giving me the answer. Buffy looks at Faith and glares.

"You're not helping."

She smiles.

"No I don't think I'm helping you, at least not in the direct sense right now, but then that's not the point. The point is to win points with your sister by being here helping you."

_Well, Faith is right about that. Being here to help me convince Buffy to get out and date again is definitely winning her points._

Buffy sighs audibly.

"Look, he's not my type. I'm not going over there."

_Does she have to make this so hard? She agreed to come out here. It took me about a week to finally wear her down enough to agree, but she did. So why now all of the sudden is she being so picky about the guys I point out?_

A nice looking guy walks right past our table and I know I have to try.

"What about him? He's cute..."

My sister actually takes a good look at this one.

"I don't know... doesn't he kind of remind you of Riley? I'm not dating anyone who might remind me of someone I used to date. It could get messy."

_What kind of excuse is that?_

"Buffy, he doesn't look anything like Riley. Besides, you're not out here to start dating anyone. You're here to maybe meet someone you might think about dating. So just TALK to the guy."

She finishes off her drink and lets out an obvious fake gasp when she sets the glass down on the table.

"Or I could just go get another drink instead. You know, I think I'll do that."

Buffy slides out of the booth before me or Faith can stop her and she heads over toward the bar. My eyes immediately meet Faith's and I can't help but sigh.

"Well this is going great don't you think?"

Her comment has me chuckling a little.

"She's just gun shy I think. Like she said, she hasn't dated anyone since The Immortal, and that kinda happened suddenly, a lot like the rest of her relationships. Probably why it didn't work out."

"Yeah, well, gun shy or not, I think your sister could use a good roll in the sack."

I look at my girlfriend and there's a grin on her face.

"And if she happens to find a nice guy, then that's all the better."

"I hope she finds both... as long as she doesn't let me in on the details."

Faith laughs.

"You and me both babe. You and me both."

As the music pounds through the club, I look around at the people, mainly the guys.

"We'll probably have to find the guy for her though, since she doesn't want to find one herself."

The woman I love moves closer to me in the booth. She reaches out and takes my hand in hers.

"You know, you keep checking out guys like this and I might start having to get jealous."

Hearing her say that makes me lean into her a little, reaching under the table with my free hand and putting it on her thigh.

"Aww, come on baby... you know you're the only one for me."

To prove my point, I lean forward, melding us into a kiss. It quickly deepens so I turn my upper body into hers slightly. We kiss passionately for a while, my hand sliding its way up her thigh.

_What happened to Buffy?_

I break the kiss and look around.

"Where's Buffy? She should've been back by now."

My girlfriend groans in slight frustration.

"Dawn..."

"I'm sorry, it's just... she's got that sling on her arm for another week or so."

Faith looks around before her eyes come back to mine.

"The girl's a slayer. Even with a sling on her arm, she can handle herself. Besides... it looks like she's just fine."

_What's she talking about?_

She points in the direction of the bar and I follow her line of sight. Over at the bar is my sister, talking to some guy.

_He seems cute, and isn't dressed in the eighties like a vampire. Of course, he could still be a vampire. Buffy could just be talking to him because she knows he's a vampire and has to slay him._

"Oh... he's not...?"

My eyes meet Faith's as I silently ask the question. She stares at the guy seriously for a moment, focusing her slayer senses.

"Nope, he's a warm blooded American male as far as I can tell. Totally dateable."

When she says that, I just have to smile.

_Especially since Buffy just laughed at something he said. That's a definite good sign in my book._

"Good..."

A gentle hand touches my cheek, turning my attention back to her.

"Yeah, it is... now where were we?"

My smile turns to a grin and I lean toward her, letting us kiss passionately in our booth at Slash.

...  
B.R.E.A.K.  
...

_Well that went well._

Faith and I make our way to the main exit of the club, hand in hand, Buffy and Derrick along with us.

_It went very, very well. I think they've really hit it off. He's just a nice, normal guy who Buffy seems to like. As far as we can tell, he's not evil at all. Faith can usually sense whether someone's demonic or evil or something, and she hasn't sensed anything like that from him since we first met him. At first I had to keep checking with Faith to make sure. I didn't think it was possible for Buffy to meet someone who isn't evil. But Faith keeps telling me there isn't any kind of evil vibe from him._

_So I guess it really has happened. Buffy's met someone she actually seems interested in who isn't evil, which is a really good thing. I think the last person she met who wasn't evil was Riley, and that was like almost 5 years ago. Of course, things didn't exactly work out between Riley and my sister, but Buffy was dealing with a lot of things back then that's not as big a deal now, which is also a good thing. Because Derrick seems like an actually nice guy and he actually seems to like Buffy as much as she seems to like him._

_Apparently he's a teacher at the local adult learning centre. He teaches English as a second language for French people. And that definitely works in his favor since most of the time Buffy can barely speak English, let alone any other language. Maybe he can teach her a few things while they get to know each other. Assuming they do get to know each other. I mean, she only just met the guy, and as far as I can tell, she hasn't given him her number or anything. This might just be a one time thing for Buffy, to see if she still has what it takes to date someone again._

_From what I've seen though, she does. They've been clicking all night and even shared a dance or two earlier. It wasn't slow dances or anything, but at least it's a start. Something to build on, if they actually want to build on it that is. I hope they do. Buffy needs to find something better to do then sit at home watch movies and eat cookie dough. She's been pretty much stuck on that since we left Sunnydale and it's not good for her. But if things go well with this Derrick guy, she might just find a reason to have a little more fun in her life. And I couldn't be happier about that idea._

We leave the club together and I can't help but turn to Buffy and Derrick immediately.

_Okay, let's see what I can do to help things._

"This was fun."

My sister and Derrick both look at me, not really saying anything.

"Don't you think so, Buffy?"

She gets this slightly annoyed look on her face and I think she's already caught on to what I'm doing.

"Yeah, I guess..."

My eyes meet Derrick's as I look at him.

"What about you Derrick? Did you have a fun time?"

He smiles at me.

"Yeah, I did. I'd love to do it again some time."

_Ooh, GREAT answer. VERY good answer._

"I wouldn't mind that. Would you Faith?"

Looking at Faith, she looks at me, then at Buffy, then at me again.

"Well, I... I don't know DK... but I'm thinking maybe that's Buffy's decision to make. But I'm cool with it if she is."

_Why isn't she trying to help me?_

"All right, well, how about... Buffy, you should give Derrick our number so we can make plans. How about that?"

Buffy glares at me for a few seconds.

"Or how about... you go on ahead and I'll meet you in a second. How's that for you?"

_There's no way I'm leaving her alone to reject this perfectly nice guy._

"I can wait."

There's a long moment of silence before my girlfriend breaks in, grabbing me by the shoulder.

"Uh, you know, I think your sister's right Dawn. Let's go over this way."

"Hey, Faith..."

Faith has to pretty much pull me away from my sister and Derrick, but eventually I go. As we walk out of earshot, I turn to Faith.

"What was that?"

She looks at me, slightly confused.

"What?"

"Why didn't you back me up when I was trying to get Buffy to give him her number?"

We stop together.

"Dawn, do you have any idea how badly your sister's going to kick my ass for trying to help you at all? I'm gonna have bruises for weeks."

_Yeah, right..._

"Oh come on, she's not gonna hurt you. If she did she'd get an earful from me and she knows it."

"Still... you could've been a little more subtle you know? You might as well have been shoving them together."

I roll my eyes and turn back to where Buffy and Derrick are, watching them talk.

"It's better than leaving them alone and having Buffy reject the poor guy isn't it?"

_They look pretty serious together. I wonder what they're saying._

"Maybe you're right DK, but you can't force two people to be together who don't want to be. Something like that's only gonna end badly."

"I know, but he's a nice guy. She should at least give him a chance."

"You're preaching to the choir babe."

Buffy reaches out and touches him on the arm with her good hand, her serious face never leaving her expression.

_Damn it..._

"I should go over there. Find out what they're saying to each other."

I'm about to get involved when I feel Faith grab me by the belt around my waist and pulls me against her, my butt forced up against her crotch.

"Oh no, you don't. You're staying right here and out of your sister's business. I want you all to myself."

Her soft lips kiss my neck and I have to gasp at the feeling.

_Mmm, can't get distracted._

"You know... you could, tell me what they were saying. If you used your slayer hearing you know."

She responds between kisses.

"Yes, I could do that... but... I'm a little... busy right now."

My girlfriend chuckles and I do the same when her breath tickles my neck. She hugs me tightly to her and I put my hands on hers, enjoying the feeling.

"Just let her do what she thinks is right."

That makes me groan in frustration.

"But I don't wanna."

I bring my eyes back up in the direction of my sister and I see Derrick take her hand gently. He kisses the back of her hand in what looks like a really romantic gesture. The only problem is that all Buffy does is smile politely at him before they make their goodbyes.

_Oh come on... that's a load of crap. Why did she do that?_

Buffy starts making her way towards us, a less than happy look on her face. Faith lets me go and steps back as Buffy walks right up to me.

"Dawn, Marie, Summers..."

All of the sudden, I feel a stinging smack on the back of my head. It's not hard, but just enough to hurt.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Oh like you don't know. Could you be a little MORE obvious? You're lucky all I'm giving you is a smack. Because from where I'm sitting, you deserve a lot more than that young lady. Now let's go."

She starts walking back to our place and my girlfriend and I follow. Faith puts her hand on the back of my head where I got smacked and rubs it lovingly.

"I was just trying to help you know."

My sister looks up at the sky slightly and sighs.

"Yes, well, no matter what you want to think Dawn, I have actually been dating a lot longer than you have. And as much as I can understand you wanting to help, I don't need THAT big of a push, all right?"

I nod and Faith brings her hand down around my shoulders while we continue to walk.

"Okay... all you had to do is say something."

"I'm just glad that you're going to be at school when I meet him for lunch. That would probably be a total disaster."

_Wait, what? Did she just say what I think she said?_

"You're... you're meeting him for lunch?"

She nods to confirm.

"Mhmm..."

_Oh my god..._

"Really?"

"Yeah... I gave him my number, my CELL PHONE number, and asked him to call."

_Oh my god..._

"Really?"

Buffy laughs and so does Faith.

"Yes, really..."

"Oh my god that's so great."

_But hold on... lunch?_

"But wait, you invited him to lunch?"

_Why would she do that?_

"Yes..."

"Okay but... lunch isn't a date. Lunch is... well, lunch."

"I know that. But I don't want to push my luck too fast with him. Plus, there are strategic reasons for a lunch date."

_Strategic reasons?_

Faith seems to get it before I do.

"Oh... good idea."

Looking at Faith for a second, I look between the two of them, trying to figure it out.

"What?"

My sister looks at me and kinda shakes her head while rolling her eyes.

"Think about it Dawn. Why would I want to meet him for lunch in a well lit place with lots of natural sunlight?"

_He's a vampire?_

"But... Faith told me he wasn't a vampire."

"And he's not. At least, as far as we can tell he isn't. But with my track record, I think it makes sense not to leave anything to chance. Not to mention, a lot of your evil demons who can shape shift into human form aren't big fans of the sun even though they can walk in it. So if I meet him for dinner, then I won't know for sure if he's evil or not. If I meet him for lunch though, I can at least eliminate a few demons from the list."

_Oh..._

"Well I don't think he's demonic. He doesn't seem demony."

"He isn't. But like I said, it's better safe than sorry."

_I guess that makes sense._

Faith finally speaks up.

"So I guess everything worked out for the best eh?"

Buffy looks at both of us for a long silent moment.

"Looks that way."

_She's right... everything did work out for the best._

**End of Chapter 5**


	6. Loving and Longing

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 6**

Loving and Longing

The door opens and the three of us walk in. I go in first, dragging Faith along with me since my hand is firmly gripping hers, and Buffy brings up the rear. We kick off our shoes and unwind after a night of actual fun.

_Now that's something I never thought we'd have. A night of actual fun with Buffy. It's been a while since I actually had fun with Buffy around. I almost can't remember the last time that happened. Probably a year, maybe even longer than that. Most of the fun I've had over the last year or so has been with my friends, or Faith. Of course, I can't say I hate all the fun I've been having with Faith. We've done so many great things with each other, and to each other, in the time we've been together. But I guess I didn't realize how much I missed just hanging out with my sister and having fun._

Faith pulls me to her, wrapping her arms around me and kissing me softly.

_Mmm, sometimes I miss hanging out with my sister. Except for when Faith kisses me like this, then I barely remember who she is._

There's a beep from the answering machine and Buffy speaks up.

"Looks like we've got a message."

Pulling away from Faith suddenly, I look at my sister.

_Ooh, maybe it's Derrick._

"It could be Derrick."

My girlfriend nudges me slightly in her arms and I look at her.

"I kinda hope it's not."

Hearing her saying that has me a little confused.

"He only just met Buffy. If he called this early, it might make him look desperate or insane or something."

_Hmm, she does have a point._

"Okay well, it could be from someone else maybe."

There's another beep on the machine before the message starts. Giles' voice speaks up in that serious British tone of his.

"_Buffy, Dawn... I sincerely hope you receive this message soon and that you aren't out hunting that demon. I realize that you were planning to wait until Buffy's arm was healed, but I also know how Buffy likes to disregard doctor's orders on a regular basis."_

That has me smiling.

_He's still looking out for us like he always does. It's sweet._

"_Now, I would have to have a better visual to be sure, but from the description you gave me..."_

The sound of ruffling through papers can be heard over the phone.

"_You described a large, well muscled, white skinned demon with beady eyes and a snout not unlike a werewolf… we may have found the demon you're looking for in our research. I believe it may be a Faraquad demon. This demon is typically very strong and fast as you described. I would venture to say that its power could rival that of three fully trained slayers if anything. It's also quite an intelligent demon and isn't generally out for the pleasure of destruction. More often than not it only attacks in the way you described when contracted to by something else. Please exercise extreme caution when tracking the Faraquad. If you require additional assistance, please return this call and I will have a group of slayers come out as soon as possible."_

A short pause follows his long winded explanation of the demon.

"_Be careful, please..."_

Then he hangs up and the message ends. None of us says anything right away, taking in what Giles left on our answering machine.

_Wow, whatever this thing is, it's a lot worse than we thought. And Buffy and Faith are going to go out and fight this thing?_

I hug Faith a little tighter to me at the thought I just had.

_I don't think I like the idea of that. One of them could get seriously hurt, or worse._

Faith looks at me and cups my cheek comfortingly with one hand.

"It's all right Dawn. There's nothing to worry about."

She pulls me into a hug tightly and it makes me feel a little better. We pull back after a minute.

"Everything is gonna be fine babe..."

Faith turns her head to where Buffy is standing.

"Right B?"

I look at my sister, standing a couple feet away, the sling still on her arm as she smiles.

"Definitely..."

_That would've been a lot more convincing if Buffy wasn't wearing her sling._

"We were already planning on being careful around this thing when we went out hunting for it. So now all we have to do is be even more careful. Maybe bring a few more of the girls with us. We should step up their training too don't you think Faith?"

My girlfriend nods at Buffy's question.

"Probably a good plan, we want them in top fighting form when we go up against this thing. We should probably start tomorrow with some serious attack drills."

"That's exactly what was thinking."

Faith turns her attention back to me again.

"See DK, everything's going to be fine. We'll kill this demon, just like any other and we'll be okay."

_I hope that they're right, but that's not gonna stop me from worrying._

"All right..."

She smiles at me with concern and kisses me sweetly.

_What about tonight though? I don't like the idea of Faith going home alone._

"What about tonight?"

Both my sister and my girlfriend look at me, wondering what I mean.

"Sorry?"

"Well I... I think you should stay here tonight. With me."

Again Faith smiles, but this time it's less concerned and more, happy.

"I'll be fine Dawn."

"But, you could get hurt if you go out there."

"Probably, but you could say that about most nights I go out there."

She tries to step back from our embrace but I hold her tightly and don't let go.

"Yeah but this time is different. You heard what Giles said, this demon doesn't usually go around attacking people for no reason. If it attacked you on patrol, it might be you it's after."

My girlfriend takes my hands from around her waist and pulls them off me. She holds them between us lovingly.

"Dawn... I love that you're worried about me so much, but nothing's going to happen to me. I'll be just fine on my own."

_That's not good enough._

I let go of her hands.

"No, I want you to stay here tonight. So you're going to. You can stay in my room with me."

Buffy decides to join in on the conversation.

"Uh, you know, I'm not sure I like that idea."

Looking at my sister, I can see she's got her concerned face on.

"Well I don't care. Faith's staying here with us tonight and that's final."

Faith and my sister look at each other.

"Looks like my girl isn't letting this go any time soon B. And you know how she can get when she wants something."

Buffy half groans and half sighs while rolling her eyes.

"All right, fine. But I don't want you staying in the same room. Faith can stay on the couch. Otherwise I might have to spend the night emptying my stomach into the toilet bowl. I'd rather not do that."

_Good, Faith's going to stay here tonight where I know she'll be safe. I can live with her not sleeping in my bed with me as long as she's nearby. There's no telling what could happen if she went out there and accidentally ran into that thing out there._

"Okay..."

My sister turns toward her room.

"I think the spare sheets are in my closet. And I have some pjs you can borrow if you like Faith."

"No worries B, I'm not sure you have anything that would fit me. But I'd appreciate the sheets."

She disappears into her room, leaving me and Faith alone in the main hall of the apartment. Our eyes meet as we hold each other and I smile at her.

"Thank you... for staying here tonight."

"Of course Dawn... whatever I can do to make you happy. I'd never want to do anything to hurt you."

"I know baby... I know..."

We kiss slowly, enjoying the feeling of being together. After a while, we pull apart and look into each other's eyes.

_I should talk to Buffy._

"Umm, I'll be right back... okay?"

The woman I love smiles, tucking some of my hair behind my left ear.

"Sure..."

Then I turn around and head for Buffy's room. When I get to Buffy's door, I knock on it. It doesn't take long for Buffy to respond.

"Yeah, come in..."

Going inside, Buffy smiles when she looks over from her closet.

"Hey Buffy..."

"What's up Dawn?"

"Oh, nothing... I just wanted to thank you."

"Yeah? For what?"

I walk up to Buffy and wrap my arms around her stomach, hugging her tightly.

"For being so understanding about Faith."

She puts her hand on one of mine, letting a moment of quiet pass before saying anything.

"I know you're just concerned about her, and I am too. Probably not as much as you are, since she's just my friend, but I care about her. If you're scared about what might happen to her, then it's probably better that she stays here. I love you."

"I love you too sis."

Buffy starts looking through her closet again and I let her go.

_At least Faith is gonna be safe tonight. I just hope I can help when the time comes to kick this thing's butt._

...  
B.R.E.A.K.  
...

_This is so hard._

The covers on my bed tangle up in my legs as I turn over on my stomach and bury my face into the pillow.

_My girlfriend is so close and yet she feels so far away. She's sleeping on the couch in the next room and I just wanna go out there, grab her, and bring her in here with me. Not so much because I'm horny, which I kinda sorta am, but mostly because I want her to be here so we can hold each other. This whole situation with that demon that nearly killed my sister has me really worried. If, or when they go out to fight this thing, something worse could happen. Faith could get seriously hurt, or killed._

_I don't know what I would do if one of them got hurt, or both of them. I'd probably go nuts or die. They mean everything to me. And this thing, this... Faraquad demon thing, it sounds like a pretty scary demon. There's no telling what would happen if they went out to fight it. I have to do something. I need to be able to do something that will help them somehow. Something that will keep them safe from the demon, and bring them both home safe and sound._

_Maybe I could call up Giles even if my sister and Faith don't want to and get him to send at least a couple slayers to help out. It probably wouldn't hurt to ask Willow for a spell or two that they could use to confuse or attack the demon. Hell, if I have to, I'll go out with them and do it myself. I don't really care if it puts me in danger or what my sister and girlfriend try and tell me to do. There's no way I'm letting anything happen to them. They're everything I have._

Pulling my head up off my bed, I take a long deep breath.

_God I can't stand this. Being away from Faith like this, even if it's only a few feet, is killing me. I need to know that she's here with me and safe._

I take the covers off me and get out of bed, tugging on my shirt to straighten it out. Then I walk over to my front door and readjust my panties before opening the door. As I make my way into the main room of our apartment, I make sure to be very quiet so that Buffy doesn't hear me.

_The last thing I need right now is Buffy running out here and yelling at me for wanting to be with Faith._

Faith's sleeping when I go up to it and it makes me feel so good to see her. With her sleeping peacefully, I reach out and touch her face gently. She stirs in her sleep a little.

"Faith..."

My girlfriend stirs a little more. Then opens her eyes, looking up at me and whispering.

"Dawn? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

I lean down to her, whispering back.

"I missed you..."

She smiles up at me, before reaching up and touching my face.

"That's sweet. But you should get back to bed. If Buffy caught us out here like this she'd have a fit."

"I don't care. I've been going nuts not being with you."

I climb over the edge of the couch and lie down with her, cozying up to her as much as I can. Our eyes meet while we get comfortable together on the small couch.

"Just hold me."

There's a long moment of silence as Faith looks into my eyes and I look right back into hers. She puts her arm around me and holds me tight.

"I missed you too babe..."

**End of Chapter 6**


	7. Awkward Moments

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 7**

Awkward Moments

Sunlight shines through the room as I wake up in the arms of the woman I love, her warmth making me feel safe. My eyes open to the most beautiful sight I've ever seen.

_She's so beautiful._

Reaching out, I caress her face. The touch of my hand makes her stir and she opens her eyes, immediately smiling when our eyes meet.

"Good morning..."

She chuckles and puts her hand on mine while it touches her cheek.

"Morning…"

A single fake cough brings us out of the loving stare we've found in each other's sights. We look up and I feel like I'm gonna die. Buffy stands over us in her yummy sushi pajamas, arms crossed over her chest with a less than pleased look on her face.

"Good morning, Dawn... Faith..."

Faith and I look at each other for a second as I feel a little like I'm going to panic. My girlfriend keeps her cool though.

"Hey B... did you sleep okay? I know I did."

_Oh that's not going to help the situation._

"I slept just fine Faith. Of course, I didn't realize that the waking up part would be such a problem. What with the breaking of the rules in the middle of the night and all."

"That... that was my fault Buffy. I, I couldn't sleep. I was scared and lonely and I thought maybe if I lay down with Faith that I might feel better. And I did."

Buffy looks at both of us silently for a while.

"But, we didn't... you know... there was no..."

_Maybe I should just show her._

I pull off the covers to show my sister the fact that we're both fully clothed, or at least clothed enough that we didn't do anything to each other. The second the covers come off though, my sister looks away and scoffs.

"Dawn... I really don't want to see that."

"Look, we're both still totally clothed."

My sister slowly brings her look back like she's afraid of what she's going to see before realizing there's nothing to be scared of.

"There was no naughty touching. The only touching we did was holding each other all night."

She stays silent for a while and I honestly don't know that she's got something to say to that.

"Okay..."

_Okay?_

Before either of us can ask, Buffy turns around and heads for the kitchen. Faith and I look at each other, both of us with a slightly confused look on our faces. We get out of the makeshift bed we've been sleeping in, straightening ourselves out and then following my sister into the kitchen. When we get in there, Buffy is busy rummaging through the pots and pans like she does every morning for breakfast, except she's doing it with one arm.

_Why didn't she yell at us? I was expecting yelling. But there isn't any yelling. She's just doing what she normally does. It doesn't make any sense. Shouldn't she be yelling at us?_

"Buffy?"

My sister looks at me for a second before putting a pot under the tap and turning on the water.

"Hmm?"

"You okay?"

The pot fills up with water and then she turns the tap off.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

Faith looks at me for a second before stepping in.

"Well, you're acting a little saner than I thought you would, B."

Buffy gives Faith a strange look.

"Why? Because I'm not freaking out about finding my sister in bed with her girlfriend?"

Her words make me kinda nervous and I rub my neck as I say what's next.

"Uh... pretty much?"

"I will admit that it's not on my top ten lists of things before I die... again, but the main reason I didn't want you sleeping in the same bed was because I was worried about walking in on the two of you while naked. So if you said there weren't any acts of nakedness, then I guess I don't have a reason to be angry."

_Uh, all right... I didn't expect her to say that._

"It's a little disappointing to know that you both decided to disobey my rules. But otherwise, I'll be all right."

Faith puts her arm over my shoulders for a second and kisses me on the side of the forehead. After which she heads over to the table and sits down.

"Works for me, so what's for breakfast?"

My sister walks over to the fridge and rummages around for something.

"Eggs..."

_She must really be okay with this whole thing. I didn't think she would be. This is the first time that I've asked Faith to stay over since we've been together, and usually when something like this happens, Buffy freaks out and yells and stuff. She didn't do that this time though. It's strange. Then again, I should probably remember that old saying, its bad luck to complain about a good thing. Or I think that's an old saying. Maybe it's just something somebody said once. And having my sister not freak out over finding me and Faith in bed together is definitely a good thing. So maybe I'll just shut up and enjoy it._

Walking over to the kitchen table, I sit down in my usual seat, which just happens to be next to Faith. I reach over to Faith and put my hand on hers, which has her smiling at me.

"Yeah, I guess I could go for some eggs."

Buffy looks my way for a second with a disapproving look.

"Good, because if you want anything else you're making it yourself."

The two of us at the table kinda laugh at Buffy's comment. We enjoy a less than comfortable silence for a while as my sister starts making breakfast.

"So... Dawn, are you going to that college seminar after school?"

_Crap... I was kinda hoping she'd forgotten about that._

When I don't say anything, both Buffy and my girlfriend look at me. Unfortunately, Faith is the first to speak.

"There's a seminar after school?"

"She didn't tell you?"

Faith shakes her head and I know I'm in for it if I don't say something.

"Well, you know, it's... it's for... for Stanford, and you know how I feel about going there."

Buffy sighs heavily while she puts a pan on the stove and turns on the burner under it.

"It's a good opportunity Dawn."

_Not this again..._

"I know it's a good opportunity Buffy. But I really don't want to go there. It's too far away and I wanna stay close to home."

This time Buffy groans in frustration.

"Faith, would you please tell your girlfriend that she should go to this seminar?"

My eyes meet my girlfriend's for a second as Faith looks back and forth between me and Buffy.

"Uh, I dunno B. My girl's pretty smart. She can probably figure out where she wants to go to school on her own."

_Thank god for Faith, she can back me up._

The look on my sister's face tells me she's not all that happy to hear Faith say that.

"So you're okay with your girlfriend throwing her life away?"

_Why does she always have to say it like that?_

"I'm not throwing my life away Buffy. When are you going to stop saying that? It's not like I'm avoiding college all together and getting a job at a burger place."

As soon as I say that I want to stab myself with a pen. Looking up at my sister, her expression doesn't make that stabbing feeling any better.

"Thanks Dawn... thanks a lot."

_God I probably couldn't have said a more terrible thing._

"I'm sorry..."

She looks at me with a glare and I can't help but look down at the table shamefully.

"You know, I did that for you Dawn."

_Could the world end right now please? I'd really appreciate it._

"I know..."

"If I hadn't done that, we wouldn't have survived. They would've foreclosed on the house and thrown us out on the street."

"I know... I know... I'm sorry Buffy. I didn't mean it like that. You know that I REALLY appreciate everything you did for me in Sunnydale. It was... it was stupid of me to say that. I'm sorry."

There's a long moment of silence in the kitchen when none of us know what to say. Thankfully, Faith has an idea.

"Look, Dawn... Stanford is a great school, and you're not really giving it a chance unless you go to this seminar. So I think you should go."

_Maybe she's right. I haven't really given Stanford a chance._

"All right, I'll go. I'm sorry."

My sister sighs in relief slightly.

"Thank you Dawn."

All I can do is smile nervously while my sister goes back to making breakfast.

_I don't know that I'll want to go to school there any more than I do now, but I guess I should at least give it a chance to show me what it has to offer. It's the least I can do for my sister._

...  
B.R.E.A.K.  
...

I lean against the wall in front of the class room where the seminar is going to start in a few minutes. Running a hand through my hair, I take a long, deep breath.

_This is so not where I want to be. I don't really want to go in there and listen to how great Stanford is. I don't want to go to Stanford. Just because it's got the best of every course that I would actually want to take and includes one of the biggest occult libraries on this side of the Atlantic. That doesn't make it the best school for me. There are so many more factors in figuring out what school I want to go to. Like the fact that it's three states away. Going away to college and living in a dorm room with a bunch of other people isn't my idea of fun._

_I had my fill of group living quarters when I shared my room with all those potentials turned slayers for all those months in Sunnydale. If I have to go through something like that again, someone's gonna get their ass decked in no time flat. There's no way I'd be able to handle that. Not that living in a dorm would be the same as 35 girls living in three bedrooms, but I'm still not exactly jumping for joy at the idea. And the worst part of it all would be that I wouldn't be able to see Faith as much as I do now. We wouldn't be able to make love almost every night, and fall asleep in each other's arms the way we do._

Looking up at the clock on the wall nearby, I notice that the seminar's about to end, so I move away from the wall to wait to go in.

_When we touch each other or hold each other all night, it makes me feel so safe and warm, especially at the times when I need it the most. The idea of losing that really isn't something I want. If I went away to school, Faith and I would only be able to see each other every once and a while. Thanksgiving, Christmas, maybe Easter. I don't think I could handle being away from Faith that much. After everything we've been to each other, I couldn't do that. I just... I couldn't. I'm going to a college in the area so that I can come home whenever I want and be with Faith._

_It's really the only option that makes sense. But, I promised Buffy that I'd go to this thing and at least listen to what they have to say. So I guess I have to go in and sit through an hour and a half of people rambling on about how great Stanford is and all they have to offer, which I completely already know. Boy is this going to be the most boring hour and a half of my life._

The people in the seminar right now open the door and start filing out of the room. Suddenly, I realize that I'm in exactly the wrong place to get in. People are walking out into the hallway like a river splitting off in two directions at once.

_Uh-oh... I'm caught in the middle. This is even less the place I want to be right now. I should really get out of here before someone..._

Just then, someone does what I was hoping they wouldn't and bumps into me, throwing me off balance slightly. I manage to keep from falling over though and I turn toward the girl who almost knocked me over, who hasn't even stopped to see if I'm all right.

"Hey, watch where you're going will ya?"

As I'm yelling at her, someone else knocks me in the shoulder from behind me and it kinda spins me around a bit in the madness.

_Damn it..._

"Uh, okay... as I was just about to say to that other p-..."

Almost on cue, another person bumps into me, knocking me over. But as I'm on my way down, someone grabs me and pulls me back to my feet. Their arms keep themselves around me protectively while people pass around us.

"You should really watch where you're going. Otherwise you're likely to get trampled in the mob."

My eyes meet his as I look up at him with a smile, giving him reason to smile back. He tilts his head slightly toward the opposite wall.

"Come on, let's get you to safety."

This guy who just saved me keeps one arm around my stomach, holding me firmly as he turns against the 'current' of the crowd and helps me get out of the way of everyone. We eventually make it to the opposite wall behind the door. I look around when he lets me go, feeling good.

"Thanks... I don't know how I got out there like that."

"No problem, I'll take any opportunity to save a damsel in distress."

He smiles at me and for some reason I feel really good about it, smiling back.

"Well, I'm not really a damsel in distress, but I still appreciate what you did."

"Like I said, it wasn't a problem."

The crowd starts to thin out a little as we continue to stand there together.

"I'm Craig by the way."

He holds out his hand to me and I take it, shaking it gently.

_He's got nice soft hands, but a firm grip. Probably because it looks like he works out pretty good._

"Dawn..."

His smile turns into a little bit of a grin.

"I know..."

_He knows?_

"We have chemistry together."

_What?_

"Sorry?"

"Chemistry? I sit three rows back and 2 seats over from you."

_Oh... you know, I thought he looked familiar._

"Oh, right... yeah, I know you."

"It's all right if you don't, not many people do."

"I can't imagine why. Especially with you saving people and all."

When his grin gets even bigger, I can't help but blush.

"Yeah well, saving people isn't exactly my day job."

There's a silence between us while the crowd thins out more.

"Maybe you should try it. Seems like you might be good at it."

Craig chuckles.

"That's a good idea. I might just add it to my list of college courses to take."

_He's funny._

It has me chuckling a little.

"So... are you going to this seminar thing too?"

"Actually, no. I wish I was, but I don't really have the grades to get in. I was just on my way to class and saw you needed help. So I thought I'd lend a hand."

We move away from the wall as we notice that the crowd has thinned out to an acceptable level.

"Oh... well thank you. I think I'm good now though."

Slowly, I make my way towards the door.

"I'll see ya around?"

"Sure... uh, hey Dawn..."

I turn around to face him when he calls out my name.

"Yeah?"

"Um, I was wondering. Maybe if you're not doing anything tomorrow... or sometime after tomorrow. Would you... do you...? I was wondering if maybe you wanted to maybe go to the same place at the same time together and... you know, have some fun?"

_Oh my god, is he asking me out?_

"Like, on a date?"

He nods nervously.

"Uh, yeah..."

_Oh my god, he actually is asking me out. What do I do?_

"Well, I... um, thank you very much Craig. You seem like a very sweet guy and all but... I'm... I'm seeing someone."

"Oh..."

The expression on his face tells me he's disappointed and I feel bad. So I do the only thing I can do.

"I think she'd probably get jealous if I went out with someone else."

"Right, yeah... of course."

He gets even more disappointed, which doesn't help the fact that I feel bad.

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I understand. Just thought I should ask. I'll, see ya around Dawn."

Then he turns around and heads down the hall.

"Bye..."

_Holy crap was that awkward. I feel so bad for him. He really does seem like a nice guy. If I wasn't dating Faith, who's the love of my life, I might actually have said yes. But I am dating Faith, so it wouldn't be right._

The bell rings and I know the whole seminar thing is about to start. Turning to the door, I go inside.

_Well, at least I have something to think about during the seminar now._

**End of Chapter 7**


	8. Idle Thoughts

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 8**

Idle Thoughts

We make out in our regular booth at Slash. Me, practically sitting in Faith's lap, enjoying the feel of one of her hands pressed firmly into my back, forcing us closer together than we probably should be in a public place.

_Of course, when I'm with Faith like this, I don't really care who sees us together. As long as they don't try and stop us from doing it. Like those assholes a couple months ago. God I just wanted to smack those guys as hard as I could. Apparently they had some big problem with our 'choice of lifestyle' or something. Saying it wasn't the 'right way to live' and that we should consider dating them instead because that's what God wanted._

_You know, it still amazes me how guys can find something like God and turn it around as a reason to get laid. But whatever, there aren't any people like that around here tonight. And that's a very good thing because I feel like making out with my girlfriend and I don't want anyone trying to stop me. The only thing that's going to keep me from Faith, even for a second, is oxygen._

It quickly becomes an issue and we break apart to catch our breaths. She smiles up at me and I kinda chuckle at her.

_She looks like she has something on her mind. I don't know how she could after all the making out we've been doing, but I might as well ask._

"What?"

Her smile turns into a bit of a grin.

"Nothing, it's just... is everything all right DK?"

That has me raising an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

"Well I sorta had to ask because you don't normally get this frisky until we have a few drinks and maybe a dance or two. And since my first drink is still sitting on the table getting warm, it seemed a little strange."

Readjusting myself in her lap, I look into her eyes.

"Do you have a problem with the way the night is going?"

She chuckles, letting her arms wrap themselves around my back. We press our bodies together lovingly and I enjoy the feel of her warm body on mine.

"Not overly. Just a little unexpected is all."

"Then just kiss me."

Before she can respond, I kiss her passionately. It has her growling into my mouth and that makes me want her even more. The fun doesn't last long though, when she puts her hands on my face and pushes me away slightly.

"You're sure nothing's wrong?"

_No..._

"Yes..."

"Because you know you can tell me if there is."

_There's no way I can tell her about what happened earlier today. She's my girlfriend, she wouldn't understand._

"I know... but don't worry. Everything's fine."

We start to kiss again. Our making out goes on for a while, until we finally break it for air.

"So, how was the seminar thing? Was it any good?"

_Why does she want to interrupt what we're doing?_

"It was fine, I guess."

She shifts under me slightly and I feel her thighs rubbing against the underside of mine.

"Just fine?"

"Yeah, it was fine. What? You don't believe me?"

My girlfriend looks at me strangely for a second.

"Of course I believe you babe. You're just being a little blunt about it. Did something happen?"

_Yes..._

"No, nothing happened. What could've happened?"

Again her expression is a strange one.

"I don't know DK, that's why I asked."

"Well... nothing happened so you don't have to wonder."

There's a long pause while Faith watches my face. After a second, Faith looks past me to the crowd. I try and turn myself to look where she is but I'm not facing the right way.

"So then why has that guy been looking at us for the last couple minutes?"

_A guy is staring at us?_

Climbing off of Faith, I sit next to her in the booth and finally see what she's seeing.

_Oh my god, this is so not good. It's Craig._

"Uh, I don't know. Maybe you should go over there and beat him up or something. You'd find out that way."

She raises an eyebrow at me like I'm crazy. Then she glances at Craig who smiles my way.

"Dawn, do you know that guy?"

My first instinct is to shake my head as hard as I can.

"Nope..."

At the worst possible time, I look over at Craig and so does Faith to see him wave and start making his way over here.

_Oh crap..._

"Because he sure seems to know you..."

"Well, I don't know him."

Craig comes up to us.

"Hey Dawn..."

_All right, now I feel like an idiot._

"Uh, hi, um..."

He seems a little hurt when I intentionally don't remember his name.

"Craig..."

"Oh, right... we have chemistry together right?"

That makes him smile.

"Yeah, sorry to interrupt, I just saw you over here with um..."

He looks at Faith and I really don't want to do this.

"Oh, yeah, this is Faith... my girlfriend."

Craig and Faith look at each other. He smiles.

"Hi, I'm Craig..."

Much like he did with me earlier today, he holds out his hand to Faith. She reaches out and shakes his hand.

"Faith..."

The tone in her voice isn't angry or mean, but it's not friendly.

_She's never really been much for meeting people._

"Anyway, like I said, I didn't want to interrupt anything. I just saw you over here and thought I'd say hi. So, hi..."

"Hey..."

"Okay... I'll see ya around."

"All right..."

"Nice to meet you Faith..."

"Same here..."

He walks away with a smile. With him gone, Faith turns her attention to me.

_This really isn't going to go well._

"So, you don't know him eh?"

"Uh, well... no, I do and I don't."

"Oh, really?"

"He... uh, when I was at, waiting outside for the seminar to start, there was a crowd. He kinda saved me."

She leans against the table and grins at me.

"Did he now?"

"Uh, yeah... he umm, there were people knocking me down, and he pulled me off to the side. You know, out of harm's way."

"Yeah? Well maybe I should be going over there and thanking him for saving my little damsel in distress."

"I, I'm not a damsel in distress you know. But I don't think you should go and thank him. That might give him a reason to..."

Suddenly, I realize what I'm about to say and shut up. Faith looks at me for a second silently before asking the question I know is coming but REALLY don't want to answer.

"A reason to... what?"

"Um, well, he kinda, you know, after the whole saving thing we got to talking, and he kinda… he kinda, asked me out."

The second the words 'asked me out' leave my lips I close my eyes, waiting for her to yell at me. Instead of what I was expecting, there's a short silence and I hear Faith pick up her drink and take a sip.

"What'd ya say?"

_What did I say? What does she mean what did I say? What does she think I said?_

"I told him I was seeing someone, because I am. Isn't that what I'm supposed to say?"

Our eyes meet for a second while she takes another sip.

"Of course, and I'm glad you did. I don't wanna to share you with anyone."

_That's good to hear._

"I don't wanna share you with anyone either."

We sit in silence together for a second and I decide to pick up my own drink and take a sip.

"So was that what had you all over me the way you were?"

"Kinda, yeah..."

"Why? It's not like it's that big a deal."

_Oh, boy, was this the part that I didn't want to talk about._

"Well, I... its kinda my fault, I think, the being asked out thing."

She raises an eyebrow at me.

"What gave you that idea? You didn't jump him did ya?"

I chuckle.

"N-no... I didn't. But I, I think I sort've flirted with him a little, after the save-age and everything."

Taking a deep breath, I try and read what Faith is thinking for a second.

_She's pretty much a blank slate, except that I think she's enjoying this a little._

"I didn't mean to. But he, kinda, I, he saved me and I thought I should be nice to him."

"And he took it the wrong way?"

"Yeah..."

Faith scoffs playfully.

"Happens all the time... it's not like you asked him, or said yes to him you know?"

_It sounds like she's really okay with this._

"So... so you're okay then, not jealous or anything?"

My girlfriend leans forward and takes my hand in hers.

"Of course not... As long as you're here with me and not with him, then I don't have to go around killing people. Which I'd say is a definite plus for the people around here."

She smiles at me and I smile back, leaning into her and kissing her sweetly.

"Definitely..."

**End of Chapter 8**


	9. Battle Ready

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 9**

Battle Ready

My key slides into the lock of my place and I turn it, opening the door. With the door unlocked, I go inside. As soon as I'm in, I see Buffy standing in the middle of the apartment with the scythe in hand, both hands actually.

_She doesn't have her arm in a sling. I guess she must've healed up faster than we thought she would._

Buffy looks at me out of the corner of her eye but doesn't say anything as she moves slowly, doing her Tai Chi. She moves the scythe in her hands, switching grip positions whenever she needs to so she can keep her movements flowing.

_She always looks so graceful when she does this. Of course, being her sister, I know better than to think that she's this coordinated all the time. But she still manages to pull it off sometimes, particularly when she's fighting. I kinda wanted to learn this a couple years back, but quickly realized I really didn't have the patience for it. Tai Chi is all about slowing down and focusing, which really isn't easy for me. Sure, give me a book or something to read and I can sit for hours going through it, but without something to focus on other than myself, I just can't really stand still long enough to learn it._

_Then again, I'm not on the front line of a war against demons and other evil things in the world. I don't have to be in perfect fighting form so I can attack evil things at a moment's notice. Only in extreme circumstances do I ever get asked to do any fighting, and even then if Buffy can avoid sending me into battle, she will. Either that, or in situations like when she asked me to help train her students at the dojo, but that only happened once so far in my entire life, and I don't think it'll happen again. Probably for the same reasons I'm never asked to fight any battles that might happen. So I guess it doesn't matter that I don't have the patience for Tai Chi._

My sister comes back to her normal starting position and holds it for a second before looking up at me and smiling.

"Hey..."

Closing the door behind me now that her Tai Chi is over, I make my way into our apartment.

"Hey... sorry I interrupted."

"It's fine, I was almost done anyway."

While I walk into the kitchen to get myself a snack, she goes into her room to put the scythe away in the weapons chest she keeps it in.

"How was your date with Faith? Did you have fun?"

_I know she's gonna hate me for saying this. She always does, but I just can't help myself._

"Oh yeah, we danced, we talked, we made out like crazy."

From the other room, I can hear my sister groan in mock disgust that might not have much mock in it.

"You know, that joke gets even less funny every time I hear it. Not to mention the gross out factor of hearing my sister talk like that. Someone should really wash your mouth out with soap."

Picking up a bag of chips, I walk back out into the main hall of our apartment and start eating. Buffy is there already, working out her left arm.

"I seem to remember you trying that already when we were younger and it didn't work then either."

"Well you know the old saying, if at first you don't succeed..."

All I can do is laugh at her before eating a couple chips.

"Yeah, good luck with that."

She frowns at me disapprovingly.

"Don't talk with your mouthful."

I hold out the open end of the bag of chips to her.

"Want some?"

She waves me off.

"No thanks, I'm good."

My sister paces a little while she continues to work out her arm.

"Seems like your arm's doing better..."

"Yeah, I woke up today and it felt pretty much back to normal. But rather than push my luck I decided to see how the day went and test it out tonight if it still felt better."

Eating a bigger handful of chips, I respond.

"Looks like it's mission accomplished."

Again she gives me a slightly disapproving look.

"Mhmm, I may even be good enough to go out on patrol tomorrow."

_Patrol? So soon?_

"You're going out on patrol? Already?"

"Well someone has to get out there and find this demon, and I nominated me so now I'm stuck with the job."

_Right, the demon..._

"You're not gonna go out there alone right? You'll take a couple of the other slayers along with you?"

"Of course, there's no way I'm letting this Faraquad demon thing getting its hands on me or anyone else so that it could do anymore damage. It's already been out there for two weeks, maybe longer, without anyone to keep it in check. We've been lucky that it hasn't hurt anyone else yet."

She makes her way towards me as we talk.

"That's good. I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt. I... I don't know if I could stand anyone else I care about getting hurt."

My eyes shift to Buffy's until recently hurt arm. Buffy sees what I'm looking at and quickly pulls me into a hug.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault."

I kinda have to scoff at that.

"Just because we had a fight that day doesn't mean I was angry enough to go out and get myself hurt."

We pull back from each other and she's smiling at me.

"I was planning on going out patrolling anyway. And yeah I was a little upset about what happened between us but by the time that demon came along, I'd already worked that out on a couple vamps we met earlier in the night."

There's a moment where we just stare at each other.

"Yeah?"

"Yes Dawn, it wasn't your fault. I probably should've said something earlier but with everything going on I got a little sidetracked. I'm sorry."

"Okay..."

Buffy and I stand in silence together for a second.

"Good..."

She moves away from me and starts working out her arm.

_I probably already know the answer to this, but I have to ask._

"Are you... are you going to ask Faith to go with you?"

She turns to me with a sympathetic look.

"I was planning on it. The girls and I are going to need her if we wanna take this thing on without ending up dead. We'd really like to avoid doing that."

_Of course..._

"Well, uh... would you... I wanna make sure that..."

"I'll make sure she comes home safe Dawn, don't worry."

That has me taking a sigh of relief before eating some more chips.

"Thanks..."

Buffy walks up to me with a smile on her face.

"No problem. But we probably won't be doing any fighting right away. Giles said that these kinds of demons are usually working for other demons, we'll have to find out who it's working for and what it wants first before we kill it."

Then without warning, she snatches the bag of chips out of my hand and heads to the kitchen.

_Oh my god..._

"Hey, that's mine."

She chuckles.

"Yeah but you're going to bed soon and I decided I'm hungry."

_How rude..._

"Give it back."

My sister looks back at me and sticks her tongue out.

"Make me."

The second she says that I take off after her, chasing her through the kitchen and dining room as fast as I can go.

"I'll make you."

We start to laugh while we chase each other.

"You gotta catch me first."

Obviously, she's faster than I am because of her slayer speed, but she slows down when she gets close to the couch and rolls up the bag of chips. I run right into her and tackle her onto the couch. Using my body weight to keep her down, which I know won't hold her, I start reaching for the chips. She tries to reach out as far as she can to keep it away from me but I crawl up and grab the bag of chips from her. Immediately, I get off of my sister and back away enough so she can't grab me. Then I start to dance around in victory.

"Oh yeah, I won. Oh yeah, you suck."

Buffy looks at me from the couch and smiles.

"Right, and in no way did I let you win."

Sticking my own tongue out, I frown at her.

"Damn right..."

My sister sighs heavily.

"Go to bed already Dawn."

_You know, I am pretty tired. Sleep is probably a good idea._

"All right, I'm going."

...  
B.R.E.A.K.  
...

We hold each other tightly in the backroom of the training area at my sister's dojo. Our bodies pressed together lovingly, the fear of what's to come running through mine.

_She could get hurt. Of course she could always get hurt every time she goes out on patrol, but for some reason this time feels different. I'm worried more than usual, and I know I'm being nuts and I don't have any reason to be, but I can't help it._

"Be careful baby."

"I will DK, I promise."

When I pull back, I look into her eyes and cup her cheek gently.

"No, really Faith, be careful. I want you to come back to me. If something happened to you..."

"Hey..."

Faith leans forward and kisses me gently.

"Nothing is gonna to happen to me. I'm gonna be fine."

"But what if you're not? I mean, that thing did a number on Buffy the last time you fought it."

"Yeah, but you know as well as I do that your sister can be an idiot sometimes. She took that thing on toe to toe. We know better this time. There's more of us this time around and we're not even going to try and fight it right away. We'll just try and track it back to its lair and see what it's up to. If it spots us, we're gonna hold it off long enough for us to escape, nothing more. You don't have to worry."

I smile.

_She makes it sound so simple and easy. It doesn't make me feel better though._

"How can I not when the woman I love is putting herself in danger for the sake of the world?"

My girlfriend chuckles slightly.

"We don't even know that the world's in danger yet. Let's just hope for the best for now all right?"

Taking a deep breath, I try and calm down.

"Okay..."

That puts a little bit of a smile on her face.

"Okay..."

She leans forward and we start to kiss softly. It goes on for a few minutes before a fake cough has us breaking apart and looking to the door. Buffy is standing there silently for a second.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I think we're ready to head out now."

Faith lets out a heavy sigh and we kiss one last time before she gets up and I slowly get up with her.

"All right, let's go."

Our fingers link together and we hold hands, squeezing each other tightly as we walk towards the door and Buffy. My sister walks just in front of us when we enter the main room of the dojo where the other twenty three slayers are waiting. Buffy does her authoritative pose thing.

_I'm so glad she waited a week after her arm healed to go out on this mission._

"Okay, now remember girls. This isn't a search and destroy mission. We're after information and nothing else. The objective is to track the Faraquad demon down and find out everything we can about it. Where it came from, what it's after, and even who it's working for if we can. This thing is strength, speed, and has a lot of focus. So don't lose any of yours by thinking about taking it on without my express orders. Got it?"

Most of the slayers either nod respectfully or say 'Yes ma'am' to my sister's question.

"All right, we're going to fan out in groups of five while we patrol the city tonight. Faith and I will each head our own team while Candy, Carmen, and Melissa will head up the other three. You all know which team you belong to, so let's start heading out."

The dojo becomes a bustling room of activity when my sister gives her order and each slayer picks up their weapons on their way out the door. Faith turns to me and gently touches my cheek with her hand.

"I'll come back to you Dawn, you don't have to worry."

Knowing she's about to leave for the mission, I frown.

"You better."

One last time, she leans in and kisses me deeply.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Then she turns around, twirling her short sword in her hand, and heads for the door, which leaves me and Buffy standing alone together with the other slayers in the dojo. We look at each other and she smiles sympathetically at me.

"We'll be fine Dawn, don't you worry."

Stepping into her personal space, I wrap my arms around her in a hug. She gently puts her arms around me and hugs me back.

"I know."

_I don't actually know that they're all going to be all right, but I know that my sister wants me to be strong, so I'm trying... as much as I can anyway. They have to come home all right._

Buffy steps back from the hug and I let her go. She lifts the scythe with one hand, readjusting her grip on it and then uses her other hand, rolled into a fist, to hit me in the jaw with a feather-light touch. It makes me smile.

"I'll see ya after the mission. Don't stay up too late, all right?"

Instead of answering, I nod and smile at her. After looking at each other for a second, she turns around and walks out the door the way the rest of the slayers did. Just as I get that feeling of dread I always get whenever Buffy and Faith go out patrolling, Tess walks up next to me. She taps me on the shoulder, making me look at her and her smiling face.

"They're gonna be all right you know. They're slayers. If anyone can handle this demon thing, it's them."

_Except sometimes, even slayers don't come back from missions._

**End of Chapter 9**


	10. Staying Behind

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 10**

Staying Behind

She lays out all her cards on the table.

"Gin..."

_Damn it..._

I throw my cards down on the table and let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding in.

_I'm not concentrating on what I'm doing. I can't. How can I with the two people who mean everything to me, are out there scouting a big bad ass demon? Maybe even fighting it if they aren't careful. This demon is supposed to be really fast, strong, and willing to kill anything that gets in its way. And my sister and girlfriend are planning on getting in its way. At least eventually they are. They're out there right now looking for it to try and figure out what its next move is going to be. That would distract even the most focused of card players._

_I just feel so useless sometimes. I know I shouldn't be going up against something like this. It's way out of my league. Hell, Buffy took twenty four other slayers with her for scouting purposes. That's every slayer in the city on an information gathering mission. This thing must be a real dangerous force to be reckoned with if she's being THAT careful with it. How many slayers are they going to need when they actually go out and fight this demon? And all I'm doing is sitting around playing Gin Rummy with Tess. This really isn't fair._

"You okay Dawn?"

Tess and I look at each other from across the little table in the dojo.

"Hmm?"

"I asked if you were okay."

"Oh, uh, yeah. I'm fine, I just... my mind isn't exactly on cards tonight."

She smiles.

"Yeah, I know the feeling. I kinda feel useless sitting around playing cards while everyone else is out finding some big beastie."

_I guess she knows what I'm going through._

"Totally, right?"

One of my best friends nods at me.

"We could be doing some sort of research or something. But instead, all the research has been pretty much done for us and we have to sit around, waiting for them to come home safe and sound."

Leaning forward, I stare down at the scattered cards on the table.

"IF they come back safe and sound."

"Well why wouldn't they? I mean, they're slayers right? Super strength, super speed, etc. The whole package pretty much except for the flying. With twenty five of them out there working together. What could go wrong?"

That makes me chuckle.

"You're lucky you didn't live on the Hellmouth back in Sunnydale for seven years. When you do that, you learn pretty quickly that things don't always work out the way you want them to. In fact, most of the time they don't."

"Oh..."

"There was this one time, Buffy actually died."

"She did?"

"Yeah... okay, I guess it wasn't only one time. More like three times."

"Uh, wow... well... then it's probably a good thing that we don't live on a hellmouth."

Again I have to chuckle.

"No kidding..."

There's a long silence in the room as neither of us knows what to say. After a while, Tess decides to break it.

"Are you sure there's nothing we can do? There isn't some book we could be looking through that no one else got to?"

_I wish there was. At least then I wouldn't have to concentrate on the fact that they're out there looking for this demon._

"Buffy didn't say anything to me about it. Normally if she can, she gives me something to do so I don't sit around feeling useless. And if not her, then Faith. This time they didn't though."

Tess sighs heavily.

"Maybe we should look anyway. Just in case we find something."

All I can do is shrug in agreement.

"Well, it's better than just sitting here."

We both get up to head towards the research table when my cell phone starts ringing on the table we were just playing cards on. Tess and I look at each other for a second and then I step back to the table and pick up the phone. On the caller ID, I see Buffy's name.

_Why is she calling me? The last time I got a call on my cell phone, it was really bad news._

Opening up my phone, I put the receiver up to my ear. Tess watches me intently.

"Buffy? Is that you?"

Her voice comes through kind of raspy.

"Dawn..."

"Buffy what's wrong? Where are you?"

"We're... we're at the hospital."

_Oh my god..._

"Are you okay? Your voice is kind of raspy."

"It, it ambushed us. We barely had a chance to escape. We... lost, a couple of the girls."

_No..._

"Is Faith...?"

"She made it out of there with the rest of us, barely. She's in pretty bad shape Dawn. You should..."

"I'm already gone."

Then I hang up my phone, hanging it on my belt as I turn to Tess. She speaks first.

"How bad is it?"

"I... I need to... we have to go to the hospital, now."

Tess turns to the door and takes out her cell phone.

"I'll get us a cab."

...  
B.R.E.A.K.  
...

_There are too many people in this god damn hospital._

Someone bumps into me as I try to race down the hallway, fast as I can. Tess and I weave through the people, me pushing people out of the way without knocking anyone over, her following close behind.

"Please... please get out of my way. I... I have to... find my sister."

Looking in every direction I can, I look for Buffy.

_Where is she? She has to be around here somewhere. I hope she's all right. She sounded strange on the phone, like she couldn't speak. What did that thing do to her, and to Faith? Buffy said she was in bad shape. I almost wanted to break down and cry right there. But I can't... Faith needs me. I just don't know how badly she needs me. I won't know that until I actually find her._

My sister finally comes into view and that need to cry comes back.

_She looks like crap. Her hair is all over the place, her clothes are ripped and dirty, like the rest of her, and she's hunched over slightly as she talks to an older couple. I can't make out what she's saying._

All of the sudden, the wife turns to her husband and starts crying. He puts his arms around her and lowers his head in pain. The only thing I can make out from this distance is Buffy mouthing the words 'I'm sorry' to the couple.

_Oh god... I think those are Melissa's parents. No..._

I push past the last few people in my way while the couple move away from Buffy.

"Of course... I really am sorry Mr. and Mrs. Horshack."

"Buffy..."

She turns to see me and I walk right up to her, grabbing her in a hug.

"Ow!"

_Holy crap, what the hell is wrong with me?_

Immediately I pull back and let her go.

"I'm sorry Buffy, I shouldn't have..."

Buffy tries to smile as much as she can. Her voice comes out raspy like it was on the phone.

"It's all right. I'm glad to see you too."

"You look like hell. Are you okay?"

"Well I feel like hell. So at least I look the way I feel. That's a plus I guess."

It's not possible for me not to smile at that.

"Did the doctors check you out yet?"

_Oh, good question Tess._

"Yeah, they did. They said I have more than two bruised ribs, and they had to give me some pain killers for my shoulder so I don't pass out. My left leg and back aren't in the greatest of shape either. This thing really did a number on us."

She pauses for a second.

"Carmen didn't make it, along with six other girls. Candy's in intensive care with the rest of her team."

"Oh my god..."

_That's terrible._

"How did this happen?"

Buffy looks at the floor and shakes her head.

"I... I don't know. We caught on to the demon's trail in the park off Charlie and Fifth. It was heading into the woods near there. After about a hundred feet in, the whole situation started to feel funky and we were gonna retreat. Then it turned and attacked. We, threw everything we could at it but it... it killed Carmen and Melissa and had two other girls begging for mercy before any of us knew what was happening. I tried to attack it head on like I did before, but when I went for a flying kick, it... it used one of the other... girls like a shield and... When that happened, it just became a mad dash for freedom any way we could find it. I... I tried to help the ones I could, but I couldn't, couldn't save everyone."

I can see her try and hold back from crying and I put my arms around her, more gently this time. She puts her arms around me, still holding the scythe in one hand. Tess speaks gently.

"Do you know where Candy is? I'm gonna go see if I can get an update on her."

Buffy pulls back enough to look ahead of us down the hall.

"Uh, yeah... I think she's, around the corner, third door on your left."

Tess tries to smile.

"Thank you... I'm glad you're all right Buffy."

"Me too."

They exchange attempts at smiling before Tess heads off down the hall.

_That goes for me too._

"Me three."

We pretend to smile at each other as we step back into our own personal space.

"But... what about Faith? How is she?"

There's a long silence between us, our eyes meeting halfway through.

"Dawn..."

Suddenly, the hospital intercom starts screeching.

"Code blue... we have a code blue in room 232."

Buffy looks up when she hears that and gets a look of dread on her face.

"Oh no..."

_What?_

"What?"

Hospital staff start rushing past us into the room right next to us. She looks where they're heading and I follow her line of sight.

"What?"

My sister takes my hand, squeezing it firmly.

"Dawn, look..."

I watch the people running into the room. Then, one of them moves aside and I catch a glimpse of who it is they're working on.

_Oh my god, no..._

"Faith!"

Without even thinking, I try and rush to Faith's side but Buffy keeps her grip on my hand, holding me back.

"Dawn, don't."

Looking back at my sister while I try to shake her grip on my hand, I can't help but feel my eyes start to well up with tears.

"Buffy she needs me. Let me go."

She pulls me back to her and puts her arms around me, holding me back from going in there.

"I know Dawn. But if you go in there, all you're going to do is get in the way and they won't be able to do anything for her."

Her words slow down my need for forward momentum a little.

"Is that what you want?"

_Why does she always have to make sense?_

"No..."

"Then let them do their thing so they can save her. Don't worry Dawn. Faith's a fighter. She's not going to give up without one hell of a fight."

Turning around in Buffy's arms, I bury my face in her shoulder and the tears start flowing.

"She has to be okay Buffy… she just has to be."

"She will Dawn. Don't worry. Faith will pull through... all you have to do is wait and see."

_She has to be okay._

**End of Chapter 10**


	11. Useless

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 11**

Useless

_This is killing me. I thought I felt useless before._

The constant beeping of the heart rate monitor keeps hitting my ears, comforting me and driving me nuts at the same time.

_Being here with her like this has introduced a whole new level of feeling useless to my life. There's nothing I can do. No way for me to make it better, or change it, or do anything other than sit here and feel useless. Every part of me is screaming at me to do something other than sit here, and I can't. I've been sitting here almost every minute of every hour of every day for the past six weeks, fighting the urge to go out and hit something for what happened to her. The more I fight it, the more I feel it. Every second I spend sitting here watching over Faith for the moment when she finally wakes up is a second that makes everything worse._

_It's just not fair. Why does she have to be in a coma? Why can't she just wake up and be okay? Maybe it's not the same kind of coma that she was in before, the doctors had to put her under with some sort of drugs so she could recover, but it's still a coma. She's still unconscious for however long it's going to take. And what's worse is that the doctors can't even tell me how long that's going to be. They just keep saying that she's making progress every day and to hope for the best. I've been hoping for the best for six weeks now and I'm getting tired of it. All I want is for Faith to wake up and for everything to be okay. But it's not happening._

_Every day I come in here, and every day she's still sleeping. I hate that I have to leave her every night when visiting hours are over. Whenever I leave here, I get this feeling that if I leave her she's gonna wake up and I'm not going to be here for it. I need to be here when she wakes up. I need to know that she's all right. Not being here for her would make me completely insane. How's she going to feel if she wakes up and there's no one here for her? It happened once before way back in Sunnydale, I don't want it to happen to her again. We're together now. We're together and we're in love. She doesn't have to be alone ever again and neither do I._

_As long as I'm still breathing, she won't be. I'll be here when she wakes up. If I have to KILL the hospital staff to be here, I will. Faith means everything to me. She's my whole world. I don't know what I'd do if she never wakes up. If we never got to be together again like we've been for the last year. Our whole relationship has been incredible. Sometimes, I feel like Faith's the only one who really, truly understands me and how I feel. The only one who knows what I need and actually gives it to me, no matter what it is. Whether it's comfort, or space, or help with a problem I'm having. Faith's always there and she never tries to tell me what she thinks is better for me unless it's gonna get me hurt or something._

For the millionth time since coming here today, I reach out and gently squeeze her hand, hoping that she'll wake up and squeeze it back. Nothing happens.

_But she's not here to do that for me now. She's not here to kiss me and hold me and tell me that it's all going to work out. Because she's lying in this bed, unconscious and not moving. Hooked up to all these machines that are keeping her alive long enough for her to recover, for however long that will take. And there's nothing I or anyone else can do to change that. I'm useless. Useless and completely alone._

Just then, the door slowly opens and I don't even turn around to see who it is, because I don't care.

"Hey Dawn, has there been any change?"

_What the hell kind of stupid question is that? Does it look like there's been any change? Can't she just look at Faith and see what's changed? Nothing..._

All I do is sigh, which Buffy takes as her cue.

"Not so much eh?"

Silence hits the room for a short stretch.

_She doesn't actually expect me to answer that does she?_

My sister walks up beside me, trying to give me something, but I just keep staring at Faith, ignoring her.

"I brought you something to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

Buffy pulls up her chair next to mine and places the sandwich bag in front of me.

"You haven't been hungry for the past three days Dawn. And when you did eat something, you ate half a sandwich. How exactly can you not be hungry?"

"I'm just not okay? Now leave me alone."

A sigh escapes my sister from my words.

"Dawnie, I know you want to be here for Faith and everything, but this isn't doing you any good. You need to eat. How is it going to help Faith if you pass out from hunger while waiting for her to wake up?"

Now I'm the one that's sighing.

"Well, maybe it would be better that I do."

"What?"

I look at my sister for the first time since she entered Faith's hospital room.

"If I pass out, then the doctors would probably put me up in a room somewhere until I'm feeling better. They could put me in here with Faith. Then I wouldn't have to leave when visiting hours are over."

"Listen to yourself Dawn. You're actually trying to hurt yourself by intentionally getting yourself put in the hospital just so you can be near Faith. I know you love her with all your heart, but this isn't healthy. All you're going to do is end up hurting yourself worse than what you want."

My eyes come back to staring at Faith's sleeping form.

"I need to be here for her."

Buffy's hand touches my shoulder gently.

"I know Dawnie, but starving yourself to death is not the way to do it. Eat something, please."

_Maybe she's right. I probably should eat something. After all, I did kinda lie to her about the not being hungry part. I'm actually starving._

With my one free hand, I pick up the sandwich bag and fiddle with it between my fingers, trying to get it open. The bag quickly slips out of my hand and on to Faith's bed. As I reach for it again, Buffy stops me.

"Dawn..."

She puts her hand on the one of mine that's holding Faith's and gently pries it open before placing both my hands on the bag. Taking the hint, I open the little plastic sandwich bag with both hands and take the contents out. I look at it for a second and Buffy seems to know what I'm about to ask.

"Peanut butter and anchovies. Your favorite."

That puts a little bit of a smile on my face before I take a bite.

_Mmm, I love the way she makes this stuff._

As I chew, Buffy lifts her hand from my shoulder and gently combs the hair back out of my face. There's a moment of almost happy silence between us when we stare at each other. Then Buffy has to go and ruin it while I take another bite.

"She'll wake up when she's feeling better Dawn. You know that. The doctors even said so on repeated occasions."

Looking back at Faith lying still, I can't help but feel a little guilty for enjoying my sandwich.

"I know... it's just that, they can't even say when she's going to wake up yet. Just that it could be a while. Things wouldn't be so bad if they could tell me when I'm going to be able to put my arms around her and tell her I love her again."

"Even if they could tell you Dawnie, it'd probably be sooner than that because she's a slayer. Her body is working more overtime than a regular person's to make itself better again. Trust me. If she can survive what I did to her in our fight back in Sunnydale after eight months, then she'll survive this too. Just you wait and see."

We sit back in our chairs together, trying to relax, even though I'm completely tense and kinda tired.

_The thing that did this to her has to pay._

"Any word from Giles?"

"He called earlier, said the first wave of slayers will be coming in some time next week."

_Next week? A whole other week with that thing out there doing whatever the hell it wants while Faith is lying here half dead. That's not fair. It should be dead now._

"Another week?"

My sister frowns along with her sigh.

"Yeah, unfortunately, a lot of the more experienced slayers were off saving the world recently. So they've been a little busy. But Giles swears, by the middle of next week there will be at least a hundred slayers in town, hunting that thing. And if need be, he says he can have three hundred more here by the beginning of the week after. Don't worry Dawn... we'll get this demon, just like any other."

The only instinct I have is to scoff.

"Mhmm, next week. We could've used them six weeks ago."

"Dawn..."

"Maybe if they had been, like I wanted you to do, this wouldn't have happened. Faith might not have almost died."

"We've had this conversation Dawn... repeatedly. We weren't out for a fight that night, but we thought we were prepared for one if it happened. That's why I called in every slayer in town for the mission, to keep everyone safe. But I underestimated it. The demon was toying with us the first time we fought it, I just wish I knew why. It's obviously a lot stronger than we gave it credit for. I'm not going to let that happen again. We're going into this with everything we have."

Her last line makes me look to the woman I love.

"Everything... except Faith."

For a second, neither of us says anything before my sister puts her hand on my shoulder again.

"Yes, but that's a good thing Dawn. No matter what happens, you won't have to worry that anything is going to happen to her, because she'll be here getting better. Isn't that what you want?"

"I guess..."

She puts her free hand over the one I've got my sandwich in.

"Come on, keep eating."

I do like she asks and eat the sandwich she brought for me.

"Things will work out for the best Dawn. It might not seem like it right away, but it will. You don't have to worry."

_That's not gonna stop me from it though. I don't think I'll be happy until that demon is dead and everyone is safe._

...  
B.R.E.A.K.  
...

I hold onto Buffy's arm as the doctor explains.

"She appears to be doing quite well under the circumstances. Her vitals are strong and increasing with every day. That's a very good sign."

_Oh thank god..._

"But she still has a ways to go. After she wakes up, she will probably need some physical therapy in order to get back the mobility and strength that she once had. It will take weeks, if not months for her to get back to her normal self."

_I can help her with all that. She'll be better in no time. That's not what I really want to know though._

"What about waking up? When do you think that'll happen?"

He sighs sympathetically.

"It's still too early to know with any certainty..."

_Again? Why can't these doctors give me a straight answer? That's what I want, and need._

"But if I had to venture a guess, based on her progress..."

The doctor is silent for a second while he thinks about what to say next.

_Yes?_

"I'd say that she should be ready to be brought out of her coma in approximately two weeks."

_Two weeks?_

"Another two weeks?"

He nods gently.

"I'm afraid so."

_How am I going to survive without her for another two weeks? The last six weeks have nearly killed me as it is. What am I going to do?_

"Isn't there anything you can do to help her along?"

"Unfortunately no, not without compromising her recovery."

Turning to Buffy, she puts her arms around me and holds me gently.

"I'm sorry I don't have better news. If you need anything, I can be paged by one of the nurses."

My sister decides to answer for me.

"Thank you doctor."

The man taking care of Faith's recovery leaves me and my sister alone in his patient's room. We hold each other tightly for a while before I feel her gently stroke my hair.

"It's only two more weeks Dawn. And remember, it probably won't be even that long because of her slayer healing."

"I know, I... I just don't know if I can live that long without her. She means everything to me."

She steps back just enough to look me in the eyes.

"You can Dawn. You're a strong woman. If anyone can get through this, it's you. I'll be here for you through it all too, you know that."

_Why did this have to happen? Why did this thing have to be out there to hurt the people I love? It's not fair. This demon robbed me of six weeks of her love and now it's going to keep us from each other for another two. It's not fair and I hate it. I hope when those slayers get here in a couple days they kick the crap out of it and make it suffer just like it's making me suffer right now. Because if they don't, I'll have to do it myself for what it did to Faith._

All I manage to do is attempt to smile at my sister before responding.

"I know..."

_Except I don't._

**End of Chapter 11**


	12. Desperation

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 12**

Desperation

Opening the door to Faith's room, I go inside, the backpack shrugged up over my shoulder. I look around to make sure no one's coming before taking off my backpack and opening it up. When I know I'm alone with Faith, I pull out the book and set it down on her bedside table and pull out the rest of the items I need. A couple of candles, holy water, and a few herbs to burn.

_This has to work. She means everything to me and I don't know if I can keep living this way. Wondering if she'll wake up today or tomorrow. It feels like she's been asleep forever. I can't take it anymore. There has to be more that I can do to help her recover faster. And I'm right. I just hope that this works the way I want it to._

After I take all the right ingredients out of my bag, I start putting them where they need to be. The candles go around Faith's hospital bed, lighting each one as I place them in position. Then I place one candle in front of me and light it, completing the circle around her. With each candle in place, I pick up the Ziploc bags of herbs that have been sitting on Faith's beside table.

_Buffy would kill me if she knew I was doing this. She doesn't like me messing with magic and stuff. In fact, as a general rule, she doesn't like me having to deal with anything demonic or supernatural at all unless I absolutely have to. But this is something I have to do. And it's not like this is anything big, like the spell I tried to do to bring my mother back from the dead. I'm not stupid enough to mess with things that powerful again, no matter how tempting it is._

My eyes watch Faith's face while she sleeps and take out a pinch of the first herb, sprinkling it gently over the candle flame. It flickers slightly, and I take a pinch of the second herb, doing the same thing I did with the first. This time the candle flickers more and there's also a small spark, letting me know I'm doing it properly.

_Okay, and now the incantation with the third one._

I pick up the book along with the pinch of the third herb and find the right spell. As I sprinkle the herb, I say the spell.

"A simple spell for the one I love, hear my call, listen to my words from beyond your wall, speak to me from within your slumber and speak to me a simple number. Listen to my words sincere and rescue me from my fear. With the words I speak, hear my heart and obey my call from finish to start."

A small puff of smoke shoots up from the candle in a swirl before it disappears in the air.

_That should do it. Now I just hope that it actually worked._

Leaning over her on the bed, I whisper to her softly.

"Faith..."

Faith stays still and doesn't say anything.

_She's supposed to say a number or something if she hears me._

"Faith?"

Nothing happens.

_Why can't she hear me and do something?_

"Faith, can you hear me?"

She doesn't move or say anything.

"Faith, if you can hear me please wake up."

Reaching out, I take her hand. It stays as limp as it's been for the past seven weeks while I hold it. She doesn't move when I squeeze her hand gently.

"Come on Faith, wake up for me."

She stays still in her sleep, barely moving except for the slow rise and fall of her chest.

"Come back to me baby."

Again all that happens is nothing.

"I need you to come back to me and tell me that you love me. Because I love you."

_Nothing..._

"And I need you to know that. I need to tell you that and hear it back. You mean everything to me Faith. So please, wake up."

The woman I love keeps sleeping in her hospital bed.

"Please baby…"

I squeeze her hand gently again but it doesn't happen.

"I don't know if I can handle another week of sitting here watching you sleep like this. It's killing me Faith. But it doesn't have to. I can be okay and so can you. All you have to do is wake up for me."

There's a long drawn out silence as I watch my girlfriend's almost lifeless face, hoping to see some sign that she's waking up. But it never comes.

_Why isn't the spell working? It should've worked. I did everything the spell told me to and it all worked like the spell said it should. So why isn't Faith waking up when I ask her to? Maybe the spell wasn't powerful enough. It was just a small little power of suggestion spell. I might need to use something bigger. But I didn't want to because something could go wrong. And sometimes people get hurt when a spell goes wrong. But what else can I do other than a more powerful spell?_

Another squeeze of her hand does nothing.

"Faith..."

_This spell obviously didn't work. There has to be one that will. But I didn't really think that this one wouldn't work, so I don't know what else to try. What do I do now?_

Just then, there's a soft knock at the door and someone walks in.

_Oh crap..._

All I have time to do is put the book down on Faith's side table before standing up and turning to see Candy walking into the room. She smiles at me and I try and smile back as much as I can, both our smiles are half hearted though.

"Hey Dawn..."

"Hey Candy..."

"How's Faith?"

I bring my eyes back to Faith's sleeping form and sigh.

"She's fine... except for still being in a coma."

"Oh... I'm sorry."

Trying to make it seem like it's not a big deal, I shrug.

"It's all right. I was hoping she might come out of it today, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen."

Candy pulls up a chair and sits down.

"Why today?"

_I really wish she hadn't asked me that. It makes me wish the spell had worked._

"Because... well... today is, kind of, our anniversary."

"Oh..."

"It was one year today that we had our first real date. We went to the movies and saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. But I couldn't tell you what the movie was really about, cause we spent most of it making out."

The room falls silent for a moment and I reach out to take Faith's hand in mine, holding it tightly when I feel like I almost wanna cry.

"One year ago today I had the greatest first date of my entire life, and I was really looking forward to celebrating it with her."

Another long moment of silence passes through the room.

"But I don't think that's gonna happen now."

Dropping my eyes down to the floor, I take a deep breath to try and hold back the tears that I feel stinging the corners of my eyes.

_I wanted us to spend the whole day together, on a day long date. But I guess I don't get to have that. Instead all I'm gonna do is sit here and wish for her to wake up. The same thing I did yesterday, and the day before, and the day before and the day before for the last seven weeks._

"I'm sorry..."

With a deep breath, I wipe my eyes clean of the tears. Then I pull my head up to face hers.

"It's all right. I'll just survive without it."

My best friend gives me a sympathetic look.

"I'm still sorry. Faith saved my life seven weeks ago in that fight. I owe her my life, and I hate that it cost the two of you your anniversary together."

"Thank you... but what about you? How are you feeling? We haven't really talked much since you woke up."

Her smile turns less happy.

"Well... I'm alive, I guess. All but healed up after almost dying three or four times a couple weeks ago. At least that's what the doctors tell me. Even knowing that though, I feel like I'm lucky. A lot of the people I went into that fight with... didn't come out."

There isn't much I can say to that.

_Except maybe..._

"I'm sorry, about Carmen."

Candy sighs heavily.

"Thanks..."

"She was a great person. I'm gonna miss her."

"Yeah... but the way Buffy talks about where slayers who die in the line of duty go, I know she's gone to a better place. Makes it easier to live with."

_I probably shouldn't joke but..._

"You can't really argue with someone who's been there, can you?"

There's a small chuckle from her and I guess I made the right choice.

"Not really."

We sit there in silence for a minute.

"I miss her badly, but I know she's in a better place. So I'm as happy for her as I can be, knowing she's not here with me."

All I can do is sigh from her words.

"That sounds like the best way to handle it. Does it work?"

The girl I call my best friend shrugs.

"So far so good..."

_I don't think I could handle things as well as Candy is when it comes to Faith. It'd kill me to have to live without Faith. If she doesn't wake up from this coma, or if she never came back from the fight. I'd go insane._

Suddenly, there's a whisper in the room.

"Five..."

_Is that?_

I look up to see Faith whisper again so quietly.

"By five..."

_It was._

"Was that?"

Instead of answering Candy I'm up on my feet and leaning over Faith's bed slightly, looking down on her.

"Faith... Faith can you hear me?"

Her eyes stay closed, making it look like she's still sleeping.

"Dawn..."

_She heard me. Oh my god she can actually hear me._

"Faith, baby I love you."

"Why does it look like she's still sleeping? Shouldn't she be awake if she's speaking to us?"

For a split second, I look back at Candy to answer her.

"I don't care. She's speaking to me, that's all that matters."

Gently, I reach out and caress Faith's cheek.

"Faith, I love you. Please wake up."

"D... Dawn... I-I love you."

Tears start to sting the corners of my eyes again when I hear her say that.

"I love you too baby. Come back to me."

"This doesn't feel right Dawn. She should be waking up. Something about this isn't right."

Hearing Candy say that has me meeting eyes with her again.

"What isn't right about my girlfriend speaking to me? Everything's fine."

_Maybe the spell I did didn't fail after all. Maybe it worked and now I can talk to my girlfriend on our anniversary._

"Faith, please, I want you to wake up for me. I need you to wake up for me. Please."

Her eyes flicker a little but she isn't quite waking up.

"I'm going to get a doctor."

_For god's sake..._

Turning around swiftly, I knock the side table over as my eyes meet Candy's with every bit of anger in me.

"GOD DAMN IT Candy, just leave it alone. Everything's fine now shut up and let me talk to my girl."

A long moment of silence passes before Candy looks down at the floor. My eyes go where Candy's line of sight is and see what she's looking at.

_Damn..._

She crouches down, picking up the spell book I was using not too long ago. It takes her only a second of looking at the cover to realize what it is. Her eyes go wide while jumping to the exact wrong conclusion.

"This is a spell book. I recognize it from the collection Buffy has that she makes us read every so often. What the heck did you do Dawn?"

"Nothing..."

Neither of us says anything for a moment.

"It was... it was nothing. All it was, was... a spell so I could talk to my girlfriend on our anniversary. It's nothing. I'm not raising the dead or anything. Just, leave it alone."

Candy holds up the book so the cover is facing me.

"Dawn, I'm not the smartest person in the world but even I'm not stupid enough to mess with magic. What if something had gone wrong?"

"Nothing did... she's, she's fine..."

Suddenly, I hear someone gasping for air in pain.

_Oh god no..._

I turn around and see its Faith convulsing in her bed. The heart rate monitor and the other machines she's hooked up to start going crazy.

_Please no... don't do this to me._

"We... get a doctor... we need a doctor..."

My best friend reacts before I do and opens the door to Faith's room, calling out for help.

"We need a doctor in here!"

All I can think to do is lean over Faith to try and help her somehow.

"Faith! Faith please don't die, I need you baby. I need you, don't leave me."

Tears form in my eyes at the thought of what's about to happen. A bunch of nurses come in and all the sudden they're pushing me aside to get at her.

"What happened?"

"I... I don't know... I... she just started convulsing."

One of the nurses steps between me and Faith, pushing me back even though I don't want to go while the others try and figure out what I did to her.

"You have to leave. Let us do our work."

"Please save her. You have to save her."

"We'll do our best, just leave and let us work."

Candy grabs me and pulls me back with her slayer strength, taking me out into the hallway.

_What did I do?_

**End of Chapter 12**


	13. Tragic Choices

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 13  
**Tragic Choices

_What did I do?_

My whole body feels like its falling apart as the tears keep coming.

_How could I do that? To the woman I love even, the one who means everything to me. Why did I cast that spell and hurt her? It wasn't supposed to do that. It wasn't supposed to hurt her. All it was supposed to do was help her. I just wanted to talk to her and tell her that I love her so that she'd have a reason to wake up and be with me again._

_That's all. Things weren't supposed to happen this way. They weren't supposed to turn out like this. So why did they have to? Why did everything fall apart like it did? Why does my life have to always turn out like this? The people I love keep getting hurt or killed. All of them keep getting pulled further and further away from me until I lose them. No matter what I do or how hard I try to be happy, it keeps happening._

_It's not fair and I can't stop it. My dad, my mom, Buffy, Tara, Anya, Carmen, all of them have left me in one way or another. If it hadn't been for the spell Willow cast to bring Buffy back to life, I never would've gotten her back. She would've been gone forever like everyone else. I'd be completely alone if it weren't for that spell. And now, there's Faith..._

Nothing seems to stop the tears from coming out of me.

_How could I do that to her? I love her more than anything. She means everything to me and I did that to her. The other times I didn't have any choice in the matter. Everything that happened was completely beyond my control. I couldn't stop my dad from leaving. I couldn't stop my mom from dying. There was only one way that I could've stopped Buffy from dying, and she wouldn't let me do it. She knew I had to jump off that tower to save the world, but instead she did it herself to save everyone else._

_There was nothing I could do to save Tara. She was dead by the time I got there. Her body was lying on the floor, her shirt red with blood where the bullet had hit her in the chest and run straight through her body. I couldn't do anything to stop it, or anything else that Willow did because of what happened to Tara. She was the one person I felt I could talk to in a very bad time in my life and she died. I wanted to do something, but I couldn't._

_After Anya died, all I could think about was the fact that she was alone when she died. No one should have that happen to them, the whole bus ride to the nearest town with a hospital that was pretty much the only thing on my mind. All the way there I did everything I could to keep everyone alive, but every free second I had, Anya and all the other people that didn't live through the battle popped into my head. The blood and gore all around me was the only thing that kept my mind off the death and destruction from Sunnydale._

_And now there's Faith... what happened to her is different than what happened to everyone else though, because it's my fault. She's in there, fighting for her life, again, because of that spell I cast on her. The woman I love could die because I was too stupid to wait until she woke up. What kind of idiot am I? I just wanted to talk to her again, to let her know that I loved her on our anniversary. Couldn't I even have that? It's my first one. I've never had an anniversary before, not a one year anniversary anyway. None of my other attempts at relationships ever lasted long enough to have a one year. I was lucky if we even made it to a month._

_So now I find someone I actually love enough to have a one year anniversary with, and I have to spend it in a hospital room waiting for her to come out of a coma. I had to do something. How else was I going to have an anniversary?_

Slowly, the tears I've been crying for what feels like hours stop coming so hard and fast.

_But of all the things that could've happened because of the spell, I never expected this. It's not what I wanted. What the hell did I do?_

A soft hand touches my shoulder and I somehow find it strangely comforting.

"I'm sorry..."

I wipe the tears from my eyes as much as I can before looking to Candy sitting next to me. Her sympathetic smile, like her hand, makes me feel a little better... but only a little.

"Thanks..."

"She'll pull through. I don't see Faith as the giving up type."

"If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have to keep fighting the way she is."

There's a long moment of silence between us where Candy's sympathy smile disappears.

"True."

_What?_

She seems to get the hint from the feeling of shock that suddenly comes over me.

"Well, if you hadn't done whatever spell you did, this probably wouldn't be happening now."

_Yeah that's a lot of help._

"Gee, thanks..."

"Hey it's the truth isn't it?"

My shoulders drop forward slightly and so does my head while I wipe more tears from my cheeks.

"Doesn't mean I wanna hear it right now, okay Candy?"

The girl I call my best friend watches my face for just a second before shrugging.

"All right, sorry... bad timing..."

_You could say that. I really don't think now is the time for people to be pointing out how badly I screwed up. What the heck does she think is on my mind anyway?_

Just then, Buffy comes down the hallway and I look up when she yells out.

"Dawn!"

I stand to face my sister, who rushes up to me and hugs me tightly.

"Are you okay sis?"

_Like I know how to answer that right now, with everything that's happening._

"I'm, I'm okay. I guess..."

We step back from each other and she reaches out, pushing my hair back behind my ears.

"Really?"

All I can do is shrug a little.

"She... she's in surgery. They won't say how it's going."

Saying that makes fresh tears sting my eyes.

"I'm so sorry Dawnie."

She puts her arms around me for comfort.

"But you can't give up. Just because they won't say anything doesn't mean that things aren't going well. She could be up and talking in no time."

There was another time that she said that.

"You said that when Mom went into surgery too."

My sister stiffens up a bit when I say that but does her best to smile her way through it.

"This isn't like what happened to Mom. Faith will get through this and be okay."

_I hope to god that she's right. I couldn't handle losing her like this. Not after what I've done to make it happen._

Buffy looks at me and I know she's about to ask what I don't want to answer.

"The only thing I don't understand is why this happened. She was doing so much better. Why would she have a setback?"

Candy decides to speak up now.

"We don't really know. I came to see how Faith was doing, since I hadn't had a lot of time to do that, what with me having my own room in the hospital and all. Dawn and I were talking, then all the sudden she started convulsing. It was insane."

_She didn't rat me out. Why didn't she rat me out? Buffy has a strict policy about magic that applies to all the slayers she trains. They aren't allowed to use magic at all without express permission from either her or Faith, and if they know someone who's using it, no matter who it is, they have to speak up about it or get severely punished, if not expelled. So why didn't she rat me out? She knows what I did, but she's acting like its some kind of mystery._

The two of them look at each other for a second.

"You think it was mystical? Maybe it could be a side-effect of fighting the demon?"

_It was definitely mystical, but that god damn demon had nothing to do with it. I almost wish it was his fault. Then I wouldn't have to live with what I did._

"I'm not sure. Did I have any setbacks like this when I was recovering? It's not something I really remember."

"Well, I made sure to check in on everyone in the hospital at least once a day if not more, and I don't think any of the other girls went through something like this."

For a second, there's a moment of silence before Buffy looks at me with concern.

"Geez, Dawn I'm sorry."

_She's sorry?_

"What?"

"Here we are going on and on about what could've done this to Faith, when we should be focused on you, helping you through this."

_Oh..._

"Uh, well its okay. I... I wanna stop whatever did this to Faith as much as you do."

_Except I'm the one that did it, there's nothing to figure out._

Candy's expression when I say that is one I'm not a fan of, but I don't think Buffy notices since she's focused on me. My sister reaches out and combs the hair out of my face with her fingers.

"And we will, when we know there's something to go after."

Only a second later, I catch the doctor coming down the hall in the corner of my eye. Turning to face him, I see he's wearing surgery clothes. He takes his mask off while he approaches and I get this horrible feeling of dread running through me at the unreadable expression on his face.

"Ms Summers?"

Both me and my sister respond.

"Yes?"

The doctor looks at each of us, confused for a second.

"I'm sorry. I'm looking for Buffy Summers."

Buffy steps up next to me.

"That's me."

"I've just come out of the surgery on Ms Faith Lehane. You're listed as her emergency contact?"

"Yes... how is she?"

He hesitates for a moment and I feel like I'm going to fall apart.

"She's fine. The surgery was a success."

_Oh thank god..._

I put my arms around Buffy and she hugs me back tightly, a huge sense of relief flowing through me.

"Ms Lehane had a small set back in her recovery. One of the arteries we recently repaired apparently ruptured unexpectedly, but we were able to repair it without complications."

_She's all right. Faith's all right. I didn't kill the woman I love._

Then Buffy asks the one question I'm not sure I want the answer to.

"Do you have any idea of the cause?"

"We have some idea. It seems as if there was a strange increase in stress on her heart just before the rupture. However, there doesn't seem to be any specific cause for the stress."

_I don't care about that._

"Is she going to be all right at least?"

He smiles at me sympathetically.

_What is it with people giving me that look?_

"She'll be fine. The extra stress concerns me though. I'm going to have to recommend that Faith remain in her coma for at least another week, perhaps two, just to be sure that she's completely out of the woods."

_Another two weeks? How am I supposed to survive another two weeks like this without her?_

My sister decides to dismiss the doctor.

"Thank you. Please have someone let us know when we can start visiting her again."

"Of course..."

He nods and then turns to leave.

_What did I do? I put Faith in a coma for another two weeks. How could I do that?_

"Hey..."

When Buffy speaks, I raise my head to meet her eyes.

"Faith's okay. She's going to be all right."

_No thanks to me._

Her expression makes me drop my eyes to the floor.

"I know, it's just... two more weeks? I don't know what I'm gonna do with myself for two weeks."

She attempts to smile but doesn't do a very good job.

"Well don't worry, cause you'll have me, and you'll have..."

Buffy turns around to point out Candy, only to realize she isn't there.

_Where'd she go?_

We both look to find her but she's nowhere in sight.

"Did you see her leave?"

I shake my head no.

"Didn't you?"

She shakes her head the same as me.

"I didn't even hear her go. At least I know she's been listening to me recently."

_She is?_

"Why?"

"Because, before all this happened we were teaching the girls how to disappear without anyone hearing you in class, seems like she managed to pick it up pretty easily."

_Oh..._

"She probably just didn't like hearing about what happened to Faith, since she went through a few surgeries herself recently."

_Either that or she didn't like hearing me act like I didn't know what was going on._

My slayer sister turns to me then.

"But hey, you know she'll be there for you when you need her to, just like I will. We'll help you get through this so that you won't feel so bad without her."

_I don't know how I could be, knowing I'm the reason she's gonna be in a coma for another two weeks._

"I know you will. Thank you."

"We're family. It's my job to help you through tough times Dawn."

Buffy puts her arms around me and hugs me tightly. With her touching me, I can't help but hug her back, knowing what I've done.

_At least I have Buffy. She's here for me when I need her. Faith's in a coma and she's here to comfort me. Even though she doesn't know what I've done. If she did, I don't know if she'd be here helping me through this. I don't know what Buffy would do if she found out what I did. But for now, I need her. So there's no way I'm going to tell her._

She pulls back a little, touching my face gently.

"You're gonna be okay Dawn... and so is Faith. As long as you have me, things will be okay."

_And I really wish I could believe her, but after what I've done, I don't know if I deserve everything to be okay._

* * *

_It won't stop._

The heart rate monitor keeps it's steady beeping, hitting my ears like the sound of the guilty conscience in my head.

_That beeping won't stop torturing me. It just keeps going and going without end and it's driving me nuts. I wish it would stop... except I don't. If that beeping stopped, it would be so much worse than if it keeps beeping away like it is. Stopping it would mean I'd lost her and I know that's not what I want. But I don't want the beeping to keep reminding me of what I did to her either._

I run my hands through my hair and let out a deep breath to try and calm down.

_So what do I do? How do I do this? How do I live with what I did to her? If she were awake, I'd tell her and hope that she can find it in her heart to forgive me. Except that she's not awake. She's still in a coma and there's nothing I can do about it. In fact, I made it worse by doing the spell I did, which means I can't beg her for forgiveness, and I have to live with this until she does._

_Maybe longer if I thought she wouldn't forgive me. I don't really know for sure if she actually would or not. There are some things about the way Faith reacts to stuff that I'm never really prepared for. Like with that guy Craig a couple weeks ago. I thought for sure that if she found out about what happened with him and how he asked me out that she'd go all nuts and break up with me or something. But she didn't. She was cool about it._

_And it was only a couple weeks before that she got all macho with this guy who tried to pick me up at Slash. He came up to me in the booth I was sitting in while Faith was off getting us some drinks and tried to flirt with me. The guy actually wasn't that bad, he seemed funny and smart, but when Faith came back she made it perfectly clear he wasn't welcome. Which he wasn't, and I kinda tried to tell him that but he was kinda focused on getting to know me so he didn't listen. Faith set him straight though, with that stare and that attitude of hers that I find a little scary and really sexy at the same time._

_After that, I was sure she'd get all jealous and want to punch out that guy Craig. I wasn't prepared for the idea that she wouldn't. How is she going to react when she finds out I did a spell that nearly killed her? Will she be okay with it or will she be angry and yell at me? I don't really know. Anything could happen, and it's killing me to think that she might not forgive me. I just wish there was a way that I could know for sure._

There's a short knock at the door and I sit back, looking behind me to see who it is. Tess walks in, the same smile on her face that everyone's been giving me since Faith ended up in a coma.

"Hey Dawn, how are you?"

The question has me rolling my eyes.

"Whatever..."

"That well eh?"

She makes her way over and I dread the thought of having to talk to Tess.

"I heard about Faith's setback. Wanted to see how you were doing."

My only reaction is to shrug while she pulls up a chair.

"Whatever..."

A few moments of silence pass where neither of us says anything.

"Can I do anything?"

All I do is shake my head without even looking at her.

"Are you sure? I could get you a glass of water or something."

_She's being too nice to me. I don't deserve to have someone be this nice to me._

"Thanks but... water isn't all that up there on my list right now."

"Right, sorry... I was just trying to help."

_Ugh, why did I have to say that to her?_

"No... I'm the one that's sorry. I... I shouldn't be that mean to you, it's just..."

"You're in a bad way. Don't worry, I understand. It's okay."

"It's not, but I appreciate you being so understanding."

Tess shrugs sympathetically.

"What are friends for?"

_Speaking of friends, I forgot to ask._

"How's Candy? She kinda ran off after the doctor told us about Faith."

She sighs.

"Yeah, I talked to her earlier. Seems like she just got scared with all the talk of things going wrong, things probably just got to her because she almost went through it herself."

_That makes sense I guess._

"But she's all right?"

"As far as I can tell, yeah..."

"That's good."

_What if... did Candy say something to Tess?_

"She didn't... say anything else, did she?"

One of my best friends looks at me strangely for a second.

"Say anything about what?"

"Nothing... I was just, you know, wondering."

Tess and I sit together in silence for a while.

"So, how are you doing?"

The question makes me take a deep breath, trying to figure out how to answer that.

"I... I honestly don't know."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"No... yes... I, I don't really know."

She chuckles.

"Well, at least you're consistent."

I have to chuckle a bit myself.

"I guess I am."

Another moment of silence passes.

"I just..."

_I'm not sure how to put this exactly._

"I feel so useless like this."

It takes me a second to continue.

"Faith means a lot to me and there's nothing I can do to make her better. Hell, I've even managed to make things worse."

"How did you make things worse?"

"I... it doesn't matter."

_I'm such an idiot sometimes. What the hell did I do that for?_

My hand slowly curls into a fist as I try and explain what I'm feeling.

"I just... don't know what to do with myself. S-something in me keeps telling me that I have to do something. That I can't just sit here and wait for her to wake up. Because the more I do the more I just wanna…"

Lashing out, I slam my fist into the steel bars around Faith's bed keeping her from rolling off it.

_Ow!_

"DAMN IT!"

The sudden pain in my hand makes my eyes well up as I shove my fist under my arm and squeeze it as best I can to make the pain go away.

"Geez, Dawn, are you all right?"

I bite my bottom lip to help with the pain, rocking back and forth a little.

"Of course, I only yell damn it when I'm extremely happy."

She reaches out and touches my arm, gently pulling on it, silently asking me to take my hand out from under my armpit. When the pain starts to go away a bit, I pull it out.

"Here, let me see."

Gently, she takes my hand, examining it. Her hand feels nice and soft.

_Why does it feel wrong to think that her hands are soft?_

With a sudden knee jerk reaction, I pull my hand away at the lurch in my stomach. Tess looks at me like I prodded her with a hot poker or something.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just... I'm fine. No real damage, I don't think I broke any bones or anything."

She doesn't quite know what to say to that.

"Uh... okay... good."

_This isn't doing any good. I can't just sit here and do nothing anymore. There has to be something else that I can do besides sit around and wait for Faith to wake up. There has to..._

Suddenly it hits me.

_That's it... I know what I have to do. The only thing I can do._

I stand up and walk away from my comatose girlfriend, heading straight for the door. One of my best friends follows me.

"Where are you going?"

"To find myself a weapon..."

**End of Chapter 13**


	14. Awakenings and Revelations

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 14  
**Awakenings and Revelations

-----------------

Buffy's POV

-----------------

The steady pace of my feet hitting the floor annoys the hell out of me as I pace back and forth in the hospital waiting room. My palms are sweaty, so I rub them together nervously.

_What do I do? How do I help her? How do I make this better for her? I can be there for her, sure. But is it really going to end up doing anything? She's been hurting so much since what happened to Faith. It's tearing her up inside having to wait and see, hoping every day that today might be the day that she wakes up. My sister is hurting and I don't know what to do about it. She's not sleeping all that well, her eating habits aren't exactly in top form, and I'm worried about what all this time spent at Faith's bedside is going to do to her college chances._

_I'm doing all that I can, I keep bringing her food and getting her to take naps where I can but don't know how much it's helping. Dawn's in a lot of pain and the more time passes the more I come to realize there may be only one thing that can take it all away. And the one thing that could help her seems to get more and more uncertain with each passing day. I thought for sure Faith would've woken up by now. She was doing so well for so long... and she has the whole slayer healing thing going for her. That's something I know pretty well. So it makes me wonder about the setback she had._

Stopping in the middle of the room, I run a hand through my hair while I let out a deep breath.

_How could it happen? How could she get that bad that quickly? Faith is one of the fittest people I know. We've kicked the crap out of each other enough times to know just how much punishment we can take without killing ourselves. She shouldn't have had something like that happen to her. So how did it happen? Why did it happen? If it were natural, her slayer healing powers should've kicked in and fixed the problem before it got too serious. But it didn't, and I can't help but wonder why. The only reason it wouldn't is because of some kind of mystical event, a spell or a curse or something._

_But who would do that to Faith? She's lying in a hospital bed unconscious, for the past few weeks she's been half dead with all the injuries she's sustained. It would just be simpler to go right into her room and stab her while she's out. There's no reason to be so secretive and do a spell. Unless whoever did it wanted to make it look like an accident as a result of her injuries. Either that or they knew that the doctors would get to her in time and save her. If that's the case then maybe this wasn't meant to kill her, just as a warning or a message of some kind._

_Except that train of thought only brings me back to who and why, neither of which I have an answer for. So I guess there's nothing I can do about it until I have more info. Maybe I'll call Willow and the other slayers training at the dojo and get them working on what kind of demon could do a spell like that. It could be relevant if we're going after that Faraquad demon in the next couple of days. God knows with the power that thing has, we don't want any surprises popping up out of nowhere. I don't want anyone else to die under my watch. I've got enough blood on my hands and on my conscience after all those years in Sunnydale. I don't need any more._

Pulling out my cell phone and turning it on, I watch the screen load up. Just then, the door opens and a nurse walks in.

"Ms Summers?"

I look up at the nurse.

"Yes?"

"She's waking up."

_What? Faith's waking up?_

"Are you sure?"

She nods with her response.

"Yes..."

The nurse steps out of the doorway to let me through before we start heading to her room.

"I thought you were keeping her under for another week?"

"That was the plan. We think her body might have become accustomed to the drug we were giving her and so she's waking up. The doctors were going to give her a dose of something else to keep her under but after examining her they determined it wasn't necessary."

_So Faith really is waking up._

"Where's my sister?"

"We're not sure. She wasn't in the room when I went to check on Ms Lehane's condition. We have orderlies searching the hospital for her."

_Good, she should be here for this. It's what she's been waiting for this whole time. I'm sure she's somewhere around here, she wouldn't leave the hospital with Faith here like this. Maybe I should call her._

"I could always call her."

I'm about to dial the number with my cell phone when the nurse interrupts.

"Please Ms Summers, cell phones aren't allowed to be used in the hospital."

"Right, sorry."

Putting my cell phone back in my pocket, we reach Faith's room and go inside. When I get inside, Faith's eyes meet mine with a split second of hope before quickly fading.

"Oh, hey B..."

"Hey Faith, how ya doing?"

"Alive and kicking from what the doctors tell me, though apparently I went to coma town again. I really hate that place."

"Really? From the amount of times you've been there I would've thought it was your favorite vacation spot."

_Same old Faith..._

The nurse decides not to interrupt.

"I'll give you two a few moments alone."

I smile at her as she leaves. My eyes meet Faith's again and she asks the question I knew was coming.

"Where's Dawn?"

"She'll be here in a minute, don't worry."

Her expression saddens a bit.

"I thought she would've been here when I woke up."

"She wanted to be, trust me. She's been here almost every single day since the fight that put you in here, hoping against hope that you'd wake up soon."

That news makes her a little less sad.

"Has she been all right? She didn't do anything stupid like go after the demon herself, did she?"

"Nope, her focus has been you this whole time. I was a little worried about her for a while but now that you're awake I'm sure she'll do a lot better."

"That's good. I can't wait to see her."

"She'll be here, just wait a few minutes. The orderlies are on the hunt for her in the hospital to tell her you're awake."

"Okay... but what about the demon? Did you kill it to death for me while I was out?"

I shake my head, a little ashamed of the answer.

"Not yet. After what it did to us last time, I didn't want to go straight into battle. We're working out a plan."

Faith sighs and rolls her eyes.

"You always were too much of a thinker B. I'd have killed it by now. It has been seven weeks hasn't it?"

Hearing her say that has me chuckling.

"And yet it's still a mystery why you keep ending up in comas. Gee, maybe you ought to think that over a little."

She chuckles herself. We get silent for a minute.

_I should probably tell her what happened._

"Listen, Faith, there's something you should know about your coma."

Her eyes narrow a little.

"What?"

"I don't know if the doctors told you or not, but you were supposed to come out of the coma sooner than you did."

"What happened? Did the demon come after me or something?"

"No, not really, but you did kinda have a setback a week ago."

"A setback? What kind of setback?"

The idea of having to tell her this kinda bugs me, taking a deep breath before giving her the details.

"You went into sudden shock after a strange pressure on your heart caused one of your veins to rupture. The doctors can't explain it."

One of her eyebrows rises when she looks at me questioningly.

"You're thinking it might've been mystical?"

"That's my theory at least, not that I have any actual facts to back it up."

We both get quiet for a second.

"Well, that might explain my dream."

_Dream?_

"What dream?"

"While I was sleeping, or, in a coma or whatever, I had this strange dream."

"It wasn't about cigars and a tunnel was it? Cause I don't really need to hear about that one again."

She chuckles and I smile at the reference to earlier days.

"No, but it was just as strange. I was floating around in this weird place with a lot of smoke and a lot of nothing else. Then I started hearing this soft voice calling out to me."

"What did it say?"

"I don't know exactly. I couldn't hear it well enough most of the time to know what it meant. But I think I did hear the word 'heart' once or twice. It's still all kinda hazy and I don't remember a lot."

_Hmm..._

"Could be the voice was whatever was doing the spell to you. Did you recognize the voice? Maybe something that could tell us what did it?"

Faith starts to shake her head gently before stopping.

"No... at least, I don't think I did."

_What?_

"Would you mind being a little more cryptic?"

My sister's girlfriend gives me a little bit of a playful glare for my question.

"I didn't recognize the voice itself exactly, but it did sound like a voice I've heard somewhere before. Maybe it'll come to me later."

All I can do is shrug.

"They usually do. In the meantime though, I'll get Willow and the other slayers at the dojo on it to see if they can narrow down what might've caused it."

Pulling my cell phone out of my pocket, I'm about to open it to dial the number when it rings.

_Weird, talk about good timing..._

I look at the caller ID and its Tess.

_What's Tess calling me for?_

"Who is it?"

"It's Tess. Hold on."

The phone flips open easily as I answer it and I put the receiver up to my ear.

"Hey... Tess... everything all right?"

Nothing on the other end, then suddenly, I hear the sounds of people moving around.

"Hello?"

There's more moving but no voices through the speaker of the phone.

"What's going on B?"

Faith and I look at each other for a second while I answer.

"I don't know. I'm trying to find out, gimme a sec."

Finally, I hear Tess' voice through the phone.

"_I'm not so sure this is a good idea Dawn."_

_Dawn? What's going on?_

"Tess? Talk to me."

Dawn's voice comes through the phone.

"_Why the hell not?"_

"_Because it's insane?"_

Something tells me that I'm not in on this conversation by accident, so I keep listening.

"_I have to do something Tess. I can't just sit around anymore while Faith lies there like a vegetable all day."_

Looking over at Faith for a split second, I try to hide the sudden shock and fear of what might be happening. The sounds of rustling hit the speaker on my phone before I hear Tess' voice again.

"_But this? Going up against the demon that took out twenty five slayers, by yourself? That's suicidal."_

_Oh my god, she can't be serious._

"_I'm not alone."_

A picture suddenly pops into my head of my sister standing in front of Tess somewhere, holding out a weapon of some kind.

"_Are you in?"_

More sounds of rustling and I almost know for sure what's going on. Tess' voice ends up confirming that fear.

"_Fine, I'll watch your back. But at least tell me where the hell it is you're going to find the demon. If I'm gonna die, I'd like to know where."_

_This can't be happening. It's like a nightmare or something._

"_First rule Buffy ever taught me about demon hunting, always start where you saw it last."_

_The park, they're going back to the park. I have to do something._

I turn around and head straight for the door.

"B..."

Faith's voice makes me stop and turn to her, the speaker of my phone still pressed up against my ear to see if I can hear anything else.

"What's going on?"

_I don't have time to explain this to Faith, and if I did, she'd go nuts and put her recovery in danger to help._

"I'll explain when I get back Faith, I promise. But now I have to go. I'm glad you're awake Faith."

All I can think to do is yell into the phone as loud as I can.

"TESS! Tess if you can hear me, say something."

There's nothing but the sounds of fast movement on the other end.

"Dawn, Faith's awake, you don't have to do this. She's awake and she's waiting to see you. Don't do this."

_Still nothing... damn it, neither of them can hear me._

I hang up the phone, knowing that listening isn't going to do me any good.

_There's only one thing I can do now that makes any kind of sense._

The list of numbers on my phone seems way too long as I scroll through them to find the one I'm looking for. Finally, I find the number for the dojo and hit the call button. On my way to the door, a nurse gets in front of me to complain.

"I'm sorry miss, but cell phones aren't allowed in..."

She's interrupted by me shoving her out of the way to keep my momentum going.

"Don't worry, I'm leaving."

After three VERY long rings, someone picks up.

"S.I.T. dojo, Willow speaking."

"Willow, get every slayer with a pulse to the park over on Charlie and Fifth."

"Buff, what's wrong?"

"It's Dawn. Just do it."

**End of Chapter 14**


	15. Terrible Ideas

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 15  
**Terrible Ideas

_It has to die. That's the only way to make things right._

My head keeps shifting left and right, searching for the demon that made all this happen.

_This thing put the woman I love in a coma, and someone has to do something to make it pay for that. Buffy obviously isn't going to do anything, she just keeps saying that we have to wait and make sure we're not going to get hurt. But everything about my relationship with Faith tells me that's not always the best way to go. Sometimes you just have to go straight into things head on and hope that everything works out._

_I owe everything I have with Faith to that kind of thinking. If I hadn't taken a chance and kissed her when I did, we never would've been what we are now. We never would've fallen so completely in love as we are. The things I've felt, being with Faith, they're so beyond what I could've imagined being in love could be. And I can't just sit around while there's something out there that tried to take that away from me._

We reach the intersection where my sister and girlfriend last fought that Faraquad demon thing and I start looking for it even harder.

_I'm gonna kill this thing. I'm gonna kill it and I'm gonna make it pay for trying to take the woman I love from me. Maybe not in that order, but I know I have to do this, whether I have a chance or not. It's not like I'm an idiot or something. I know this thing is stronger and faster than me, and I know it'll probably kill me before I can raise my sword against it. But I can't just sit around anymore. If I have to die for the woman I love, then I will._

_At least I'll die knowing that I actually tried to do something to stop the demon, unlike some other people I know. And if I die trying to fight the demon that tried to kill my girlfriend, Faith will know that I died because I loved her enough to fight back against what did this to her. Of course, I'm hoping that by some miracle I won't wind up dead and I'll actually find a way to kill the demon before it kills me. I don't know how exactly, but I'll do it some way._

I look at Tess for a second before stopping and turning at a 360 degree angle in the middle of the park.

_Except that only works if I can find the damn thing, which so far it doesn't look like it's going to happen._

"Well, I don't see it anywhere Dawn. Maybe we should just go back and try not going on a suicide mission. I hear it's what all the cool kids are doing these days."

"Yeah well, I've never been one to go with the pack. Let's keep looking. If it's not somewhere around here, we might be able to find some clue to where it went."

With a firm grip on the broad sword I took from Buffy's weapons chest, I start searching for some sign of the demon.

_There has to be something, somewhere that can tell me where the demon might be. I won't go home empty handed. I won't go back to that cold, sterile hospital room and watch Faith lie there like a vegetable for the next week, maybe two. Not without knowing for sure that when the moment comes that she finally wakes up, I'll be able to tell her that the thing that did this to her is dead and gone for good._

"And you're sure that's a good idea? Because I'm honestly still not convinced that I'd like to die by having my head ripped off. It doesn't sound like the best way to die."

"I'm sure it doesn't feel all that great either. But I don't plan on being the one dying. And neither are you."

My foot steps on the edge of something and I almost trip. Thankfully, I manage to keep my balance. When I look down, I see a huge footprint in the ground. It's not deep, but it's way too big to be human, like 3 times the size of a human foot, especially with the talon-like toes on the ends of it.

_This must be it, the clue that I've been looking for._

The sight of the demon's footprint has me looking around for another, and I'm not disappointed. There's another one a few feet away leading down to the trees that start the nearby forest.

"I think I found something."

"You're not the only one Dawn."

Tess and I look at each other and the look of fear in her eyes sends chills down my spine. I follow her line of sight and I suddenly know exactly what she's feeling. A huge white demon is standing about a hundred feet away from us, staring back.

_Oh my god... what am I going to do?_

With the thing standing this far away I'm suddenly filled with a terrible feeling of dread and absolute fear.

_Never let fear control you. That's one of the main things Faith used to try and teach me when she was still up and awake._

My heart races and I grip the handle of the sword tighter.

_I have absolutely no idea what my next move is going to be, but I can't exactly turn back now. It can see us. Buffy said this demon's eyesight had to be damn near better than perfect to do the type of things it did to take out all those slayers at once. Probably has some sort of people sensor in its head too so it can see an attack coming from miles away and be prepared._

We glance at each other briefly and Tess is in pretty much the same type of stance I am, waiting for something to happen.

_So why isn't it attacking?_

"Why is it just standing there like that? Doesn't it see us?"

_I'd like to know the answer myself._

"I-I don't know..."

Before I can finish my sentence there's a gust of wind and I look up to see the Faraquad demon standing inches away with a grin on its face. It stares right at me looking deep into my eyes and the coldness I can see in its eyes chills me to the bone. There's a moment of extreme tension that seems to stretch out forever before I finally manage to have a thought.

_What am I doing?_

I pull back my sword to swing at it but I don't have to. Suddenly, there's some kind of explosion between me and the demon and it blows Tess and I back away from the demon. The explosion blinds me for a second with a bright white light. I land on my back with a hard thud, a hard pain shooting through my body for a moment.

_Ow!_

"W-What... what the h-hell was that?"

All I can do is shake my head to try and get my sight back while I try to sit up.

"The best I could do under the circumstances... sorry about that."

My eyes start to come back into focus and I see Willow walk up between the heaps that are me and Tess. She stands there for a second before throwing her arm forward and pointing.

"Turn it inside out girls!"

A sudden barrage of footsteps begins a wave of slayers rushing right past us with weapons raised, most of them letting out a battle cry on the way. It has to be at least a hundred slayers rushing past us to the demon. When most of them are attacking, Willow looks down at me like I'm nuts.

"The real question is what you're doing out here."

A familiar voice adds to Willow's statement/question.

"I'd really like to know the answer myself."

Willow turns to Tess and helps her up while I look at Buffy, who has a not so happy look on her face I've seen a million times, amplified by a thousand. After a very long disapproving moment, she offers me a hand up, which I take. The help comes with strings attached though, like it always does.

"What are you doing here Dawn?"

I dust myself off of the dirt the explosion got all over me.

"Exactly what it looks like I'm doing."

Buffy scoffs, obviously not believing me.

"Trying to get yourself killed?"

"Well I was kinda hoping that wouldn't happen, but at least I was doing something, which is more than I can say for you."

Her angry disapproving look turns into one of hurt confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"At least I'm trying to do something instead of just sitting around and waiting for the right moment that never comes."

There's a moment of silence between us despite the clanging of weapons and sounds of fighting a couple dozen feet away until I continue.

"I couldn't do it anymore Buffy. I couldn't just sit there and watch her lie there like that. Either I had to do something or I'd go crazy waiting."

"So you thought a SUICIDE MISSON was the SANE choice? For god's sake Dawn, you could've been killed. It already killed enough people, two of which were your best friends. Were you really going to add your name to the list?"

I point towards the demon while I respond.

"What the hell else was I supposed to do? It's not like you were really doing anything. This THING almost killed the woman I love. She might not ever wake up thanks to that demon. I had to..."

"She's awake, Dawn."

_What?_

"What do you mean?"

"Faith woke up shortly after you disappeared from the hospital. She's awake, Dawn."

_Oh my god..._

My first and only thought is to start leaving towards the hospital.

"I have to see her."

Buffy grabs me by the arm to stop me.

"Whoa, hold on, you're not done being yelled at."

"I am now."

I try to leave but Buffy doesn't let go of my arm.

"Dawn, stop..."

Our eyes meet and the confusion in her is less but she looks scared about something.

"This is nuts. You can't keep acting like this because of Faith."

_How can she say that?_

"I love her."

Suddenly, a loud noise is heard behind us and we all look to see the demon sailing a few feet towards us and hitting the ground in front of us. We have to move out of the way to avoid getting knocked over. Buffy, Willow, Tess and I all look at the demon with an axe buried into his chest where its blood is spilling out all over. The demon also has a bunch of slashes and arrows all over its body. It's taking short, labored breaths that still manage to sound menacing even though it's dying.

Then, without warning, it turns its head towards me and manages to barely smile with all its sharp jagged teeth. While on its last breaths, I grip Buffy's arm at its words.

"T-The... Key..."

_What? W-what did it say?_

I take a very short step towards it before it growls its last breath and goes limp in front of us.

"Will? Did, did you hear what it said?"

"I, I think so... but I... did it just say The Key?"

_It did... I didn't imagine that. Oh my god..._

Buffy's grip on my arm suddenly feels like she's going to break it when she tries to pull me along. The only thing I can do is stumble along with her as my eyes stay locked on the demon's body.

"Come on, we have to go."

She pulls me harder and I almost fall over until Buffy forces me back on balance and wraps an arm around my shoulders to pull me with her.

"We have to go. Come on Dawn. Will, tell the girls to scatter and regroup at the dojo tomorrow. Tess, come with us."

Willow goes to give the orders while Tess starts following us. Turning to look at my sister while she pulls me along, I see that same desperate but determined look on her face I remember from the last time someone said those words. She keeps looking around in a paranoid way.

"Buffy, w-what's going on? Why d-did it h-have to say that?"

"I-I don't know Dawn. I don't know."

**End of Chapter 15**


	16. Tears of Joy

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 16**

Tears of Joy

We rush down the hall of the hospital, on my way to Faith's hospital room. Buffy, Willow and Tess follow behind me reluctantly as I shove people out of my way the best I can.

_She's awake... I have to see her, she's awake. Whether anyone else wants me to or not, I have to see her._

"Come on Dawn..."

Buffy grabs my arm but I brush her off.

"No..."

_Buffy keeps trying to get me to stop and go with her, but there's no way I'm going anywhere except to the woman I love. I've waited seven weeks for this moment, I won't miss it now. Not even if some evil hell god demon thing comes after me so they can cut me open and end the world with my blood. None of that means anything unless I can see Faith again._

_I don't care about the fact that the demon called me The Key. Glory's the only one that ever called me The Key, and that's because there was only ever one time when my blood could be used to open up the doors to the dimensions. Or so Giles once told me after everything with Glory was all over. He looked into everything he could find on The Key and told me I would never have to worry about anyone coming after me._

_So it doesn't matter why that thing was after me or what it wanted me for. It won't get it, especially since it is dead for good now. The slayers killed it and it's not coming back. All that matters now is Faith._

My girl's room comes into view and I run towards it, ignoring the nurse's objection.

"There's no running in the hospital."

_Screw the nurses. I have to see Faith._

Pushing through the door of Faith's room, I think my heart almost stops when I see Faith sitting up on the bed. Her eyes meet mine and already I feel like I'm gonna break down and cry. She smiles at me.

"Dawn..."

_Oh my god... it's really real. She's really, truly awake._

Instinct has me running at her, wrapping my arms around her as soon as I'm in range. I sit on the edge of her bed to be as close as I can be to her.

"Faith... oh... Faith thank god..."

She puts her arms around me while the others finally come in and join us.

"You're awake..."

There's a gentle chuckle from her before she responds.

"Yeah, I did notice that."

She squeezes me a little tighter and I do the same to Faith when I can't stop the tears from coming out.

"I was so worried about you. I... I thought..."

"Hey..."

We let go of each other and our eyes meet. She's got a sad smile on her face.

"You don't have to worry about that now. I'm awake and everything's gonna be fine."

That makes me smile a little behind the tears. Seconds later, I lean forward slowly into a kiss. Our lips press together and she tastes like heaven.

_I never thought I'd get to feel these lips again. There were so many times, despite what the doctors kept telling me, that I just had to wonder if she'd ever really wake up. Whether she'd ever hold me like this. I didn't know if I'd ever feel her hand touch my cheek like she is now. It's all so unreal._

Faith and I break our kiss and look into each other's eyes. I reach out to her, pushing her hair back out of her eyes to look as deep as I can.

"I love you."

My words put a smile on Faith's face that only makes me wanna cry harder from the pure joy of the sight. She wipes the tears from my cheeks.

"I know... I love you too."

All the feelings hearing her say those words bring out of me makes my heart feel like it's going to explode with happiness. A series of fake coughs makes us eventually pull apart. Our fingers lace together, gripping each other like we'd lose each other if we didn't. I turn to look at Buffy, Willow, and Tess standing just inside the door. Willow and Tess both grin at us while Buffy smiles happily.

"Sorry to interrupt the happy reunion, but some of us other non-significant people are happy to see Faith awake too."

Hearing Willow say that puts a smile on my face and despite the tears blurring my vision, I see her waving at us.

"How's it going Faith, you feeling all right?"

My girlfriend shrugs.

"Five by five Red, seems like I'm gonna be all right. At least, the doctors tell me so."

_Oh thank god..._

Every beat of my heart seems to get faster as I lean into Faith and she puts her arms around me while I rest my head on her shoulder.

_She's really holding me. God, this feels so incredible. I didn't think I could feel this happy._

"Good, I'm glad, can't have you leaving us so soon. You might wanna try cutting back on your trips to coma-cabana though."

Faith chuckles slightly and the sound of her laughter is like heaven to my ears.

"I'll consider it."

"It's good to see you're all right Faith."

"Thanks Tess. I hope you've been keeping my girl company while I was out."

Tess shrugs.

"I did my part."

There are a few moments of silence in the room.

"Well, if you guys don't mind, I think I'd like to spend some time alone with Dawn."

Buffy seems to look around all paranoid for a second, making me wipe the tears out of my eyes.

"I, I don't think that's such a good idea. I think Dawn should come with me."

Faith looks at the four of us, slightly confused.

"Why? What's going on?"

_Why does she have to ruin this for me?_

"Nothing's going on. Everything's fine."

The look on Faith's face tells me she doesn't believe me. I reach out and touch her face, cupping her cheek.

"No, really, everything's fine."

It takes her a second but she eventually smiles.

"Okay..."

My sister tries to interrupt.

"Dawn..."

When I look at Buffy she stops.

"Things are fine, sis. Faith's awake and the demon's dead. Just let it go already."

Again Faith looks confused.

"The demon's dead? When did that happen?"

_Oh, right..._

"Uh, Willow and the other slayers took care of it. It's gone."

She breathes a reserved sigh of relief.

"Well that's too bad. When B told me the demon was still out there, I was kinda liking the idea of returning all the bruises that thing caused me. Not to mention what it did to Carmen and the others."

_Why should that matter?_

"Now you don't have to baby. You can just be safe and focus on your recovery."

My girlfriend looks into my eyes for a second.

"I guess..."

We lean into each other and kiss softly.

"We'll leave the two of you alone for a while."

"But..."

"Come on Buff..."

Willow has to all but drag my sister out of the room. Once they're gone, I look into Faith's eyes.

"I missed you."

She caresses my face softly. Her touch is so soft and familiar that I feel tears stinging my eyes again.

"I love you."

We gently lie down together on Faith's hospital bed, holding each other, just enjoying being together again. Faith strokes my hair a little while we feel the warmth of our embrace.

"Are you sure everything's all right?"

"Everything's perfect Faith, now that you're here."

**End of Chapter 16**


	17. Emotional Girl

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 17**

Emotional Girl

Her body feels so incredible against mine that every part of me is burning. It's not a bad feeling, or a good feeling, it's just a feeling. From head to toe, my whole body feels like my foot does when I sit on it, tingling all over.

_Except I haven't been sitting on it, I've just been lying here. Lying with the woman I love beside me, and I don't ever... EVER want to leave this place. She just feels so good right now and I don't wanna lose that._

She shifts slightly under me before I hear her voice.

"You're being kinda quiet there DK, you all right?"

Lifting my head up, I look into her eyes and get little overwhelmed by the simple look of concern in them.

_I can't believe I almost never got to see that look again._

"Dawn?"

"Oh, uh, yeah... I'm fine. I'm just... happy. That's all. I'm happy you're awake and gonna be okay."

Faith smiles at me gently.

"No one's more happy about that then me babe. But if there's something else going on, you know you can tell me."

_Other than the fact that there used to be a demon out there that was searching for The Key? Which just so happens to be me?_

"Nothing's going on. Really Faith, I'm just happy, that's it."

"Okay, cause I was getting this strange feeling."

I pull myself up almost to a full sitting position next to Faith.

"Well I don't know where that feeling came from because everything's fine."

The concern on her face suddenly turns to one of confusion.

"Whoa, okay, sorry... I wasn't looking to fight about it or anything. I was just wondering. Being out of commission for eight weeks will make a girl kinda curious. I'm sorry I asked."

_Geez, what the heck is wrong with me?_

"No, I'm sorry I... I guess I'm just a little emotional because of everything that's been happening."

There's a moment where I close my eyes and take a shaky deep breath.

"You just... those eight weeks you were in a coma. Kinda felt a lot like eight months to me."

My girlfriend reaches out and touches my face, caressing my cheek, only a little bit of a smile appearing on her own.

"Trust me, I know what eight months in a coma feels like, and this isn't it."

That gives me a reason to try for a smile, not that I succeed so much. It isn't long before the overwhelming feeling of happiness of having Faith back goes into overdrive again, making me wanna cry again. Every instinct in me forces me to fall into her arms, wrapping my arms around her and hugging her tightly.

"I'm so glad you're all right."

She holds me just as tightly while I try and hold back the tears in me.

"Me too DK, me too..."

After a few short moments, there's a knock at the door before a pair of nurses walk in. We pull apart to look at them.

"Sorry to interrupt, but that bed is not designed to support two people. And we have to check Ms Lehane's vitals now."

_Check her vitals?_

"I thought she was fine."

One of the nurses smiles at me.

"She is, but we still need to monitor her recovery to ensure everything is back to normal. It's simply standard procedure."

_Oh..._

"Well, okay..."

I get down off the bed and straighten myself out.

"Will you...?"

Faith doesn't even let me finish.

"I'll get them to come find you when it's all over."

Her words put a smile on my face that's a little less faked then before.

"Thanks..."

"Anything for my girl..."

There's a moment where we just look into each other's eyes and I know exactly how much she loves me.

_I can only hope that she knows I feel the same way times ten._

"I'll see ya soon."

_Oh, right..._

"Okay..."

Then I turn and head out of Faith's hospital room, this time knowing that when I come back she'll still be awake.

_I'm so glad that she's awake. It's all going to be all right now that she's awake._

Walking back into the hallway, I see Buffy and Willow stand up to meet me, both with concerned looks on their faces.

_Whether they like it or not..._

Naturally, Buffy is the first to speak up.

"Hey Dawn, how's Faith doing?"

_Well, at least she's trying to act like she cares right now._

"She's fine. The doctors are giving her a check up right now. Otherwise I'd still be in there with her."

"That's good, I'm glad."

Willow decides to chime in at this point.

"Yeah me too, I was kinda worried about her for a while."

_Is that so?_

"So that's why you decided to visit her all of never until now."

My sister tries to scold me.

"Dawn!"

_I saw that coming._

"What? I'm right aren't I?"

The look on Willow's face tells me she's not about to argue the point.

"I'm sorry Dawn, I didn't mean to not visit. I've just been a little busy lately, that's all. What with the demon out there and organizing the slayers against it. I would've been here sooner..."

"But you've been too busy to care. I get it."

My sister's best friend doesn't respond right away.

"Dawn, I came because you're my friend, and so is Faith. I care about both of you."

_Of course she does._

"Just not enough to return any of my phone calls for the last six months."

_I've called her at least a hundred times over the past couple of months, looking for her advice on being with Faith, and how to handle certain situations, and I ended up getting it from her voicemail. Now she just expects me to pretend like everything's all right with us? It's not, and I'm not gonna act like it._

Buffy isn't about to let me be honest though.

"What's gotten into you Dawn? It's not like you don't know how busy Willow is. You've been to Cleveland more than a few times, that place can be like a zoo sometimes. Why are you jumping all over Willow like that?"

Before I can respond, Willow interjects.

"Hey, you know what? It's all right Buff. I've seen the signs enough times to know when I'm not wanted. I wasn't really looking for a flashback to my high school years, but it's fine. I'll go."

She tilts her head backwards to show she's leaving before she starts heading that way.

"No, Will, wait..."

"Don't worry, I'll call ya later, give you an update on how the clean up effort is going."

Then Willow turns and heads down the hall.

_It's not like I'm gonna stop her._

"What the heck was that?"

_Apparently I'm the only one._

I turn to Buffy at her words.

"What? It's not like she really NEEDS to be here. Is it?"

My slayer sister gets a confused look on her face.

"She was concerned about Faith, and you."

_Yeah, right..._

"So she says. I'm not so sure I believe her."

"Why not... and when did you start calling her for advice? I didn't hear about this."

"Well, there are a lot of things I don't tell you about, Buffy."

Her confused look doesn't exactly go away.

"Okay, but... we still need Willow."

_For what?_

"Why?"

"We need a plan."

"What kind of plan?"

"For the demon that's coming after us..."

"There's no demon coming after anyone Buffy. You killed that one. You and the other slayers, remember?"

"Dawn, that... that demon called you The Key."

"Yeah, and it's dead now. The problem is solved."

Buffy takes a deep breath.

"Things are never that simple Dawn and you know it. Giles said that sometimes the Faraquad demons are known to work for other demons and things. What if this demon was working for something else... something worse?"

"And what if it wasn't? Maybe it was after me for itself for some reason. Now it's dead and there's nothing left to worry about. You're being paranoid Buffy."

"What if I'm not? What if I'm right? We're gonna need some kind of plan, and Willow's gonna need to be in on that plan."

_God, why does she always have to be so nuts?_

"I have a plan Buffy."

The confused look on her face turns to one that's a little angry.

"What plan? When did you come up with this?"

Crossing my arms over my chest, I stare Buffy down.

"Faith's going to protect me. Now that she's awake, I'm going to help her recover completely and then she'll protect me. So IF anything does come, we'll be ready."

"Dawn, that's not a plan, that's..."

"Just... stop trying to protect me Buffy. I don't need you to watch over my shoulder anymore. I have Faith for that."

Instead of letting her respond to that, I turn back to where Faith's room is and head down the hall. All I hear is Buffy's voice calling out while I go.

"Dawn..."

That doesn't stop me as I just keep on going.

_I hope they're done with Faith's tests. I need to see her._

**End of Chapter 17**


	18. Listening to what's right

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

Author's Notes: Sorry about the delay in postings. I've been job hunting and it's taken up too much time lately. So I'm gonna post two chapters this time to make up for it. Forgive me? :)

**Just a College Girl Chapter 18**

Listening to what's right

---------------

Faith's POV

---------------

My muscles ache as I clench my right hand into a fist gently, the rest of my arm laying flat against the hospital bed.

_Wow, that feels weird._

Shifting my eyes to my left arm, I clench my left fist like my right one was.

_Every part of me is just tingling all over, like I've been sleeping on my arms or something. Which I guess isn't that far from the truth. I have been sleeping for a pretty long time... again._

I readjust myself in the bed and enjoy the strange feeling it gives me.

_But I don't remember feeling this way the last time I woke up from my coma. Of course, I wasn't out of commission for as long on this one. 8 weeks is definitely less terrible than 8 months. Not that I wouldn't mind going the rest of my life without going into a coma again, but that plan never seems to work out._

The strange tingling feeling in me makes take a deep breath and run a hand through my hair.

_This must be what an eight week coma feels like. It kinda feels good. A little like that feeling I get around Dawn. That great low down tickle that makes me just wanna rip all her clothes off and make love to her all night long. Except, this feeling isn't making me horny. For some reason it feels more... pure._

_I don't know. I think that's the word for it. Feeling pure isn't exactly something I'm all that familiar with. But it feels like the right word to describe how this feels. It's kinda nice. I'll have to ask DK about it when she gets back._

Suddenly, I hear the door to my room open.

_Speaking of the woman I love..._

Then I look up to see B standing in the doorway.

_Either that or her sister..._

"What's up B?"

She tries her best to smile when she walks in.

"I need a reason to stop by?"

That makes me chuckle a bit.

"Well it is pretty much standard procedure with you and me, isn't it B? You're not really prone to coming by without a problem that needs solving."

My girlfriend's sister shrugs.

"Right, because you always made such an effort to be friends with me."

I have to smile at her comment.

"So, you came here to trade insults did you? I'm not exactly in top fighting form but if you're that into it I suppose I could give it a shot."

Buffy grins a little back.

"Actually, that's not why I'm here. But then, we always seem to have a way of getting under each other's skin."

There's a long silence between us before I finally speak up.

"What are you here for anyway B?"

She makes her way over and pulls up a chair to sit down.

"I came here to talk to you... about Dawn."

_Uh-oh..._

"The last time you came to see me to talk about Dawn, things didn't exactly end all that well. Remember?"

"Where is my sister by the way? I figured she'd be here with you."

"She was looking a little hungry, so I sent her to get something to eat. Not that anything edible in this hospital could be close to food related."

A confused look appears on her face.

"And she listened to you?"

_What kind of question is that?_

"Why wouldn't she?"

"Because she's all but stopped listening to me..."

_Great..._

"And you've come to me for help?"

The deja-vu of this moment has me chuckling.

"Why do you always seem to come knocking on my door when you need help with something?"

She sorta half smiles at me.

"Because I know you want to help... and because I know how much you care about Dawn. A lot more than you did the last time I asked for your help with her."

_I'm not sure I like the sound of where this is going._

"Does Dawn know you're here?"

Buffy shakes her head.

"No, she doesn't, and if you really love her than you can't tell her when she comes back."

It's my turn to look confused.

"Why the hell not, B? I'm not in the habit of lying to my girl, and I don't really think I'm gonna start now."

"I'm not asking you to lie to her Faith. I'm just asking for your help with her."

_This obviously seems to mean a lot to her. I suppose I should at least hear her out._

"And how exactly do you plan on screwing up Dawn's life by meddling in it now?"

She takes a deep breath.

"Her life is already screwed up enough as it is."

"What are you talking about B?"

There's a short pause before she says anything.

"Faith, have you actually looked at Dawn since you woke up? And I don't mean in the way I really don't want to know about. I mean, REALLY taken a good look at her. She's been a little off lately."

_I haven't really looked at her I guess, I was just so happy to see her and to be awake, everything else just seemed unimportant._

"Off, how?"

"You may not have noticed because you've been in a coma for eight weeks, but if you look at her, you can see it. She looks tired and hungry."

_She has kinda been really quiet. Normally when we're together she can go on and on for hours without stopping. It's actually kinda sexy after a while. But I've been out of commission for eight weeks and she's barely said a thing in the past couple days since I woke up. Shouldn't she have lots to talk about?_

"While you were in a coma, she pretty much shut down, emotionally. She stopped sleeping, she was barely eating. I had to argue with her just to get her to eat something as simple as a ham sandwich and there were more than a few moments where I was worried that we'd have to admit her to the hospital room across from you in order to make sure she got any sleep at all."

"Okay... but what are you expecting me to do exactly? Hold her down while you force feed her or until she goes to sleep?"

Buffy kinda scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"I don't know. That's not up to me Faith. I'm not here because I wanted to tell you how to help her. I learned my lesson last time. All I'm here for is to make sure that you're aware of the things that Dawn is dealing with right now. How you deal with them, and her, is up to you. I have my own way, not that it's doing much good right now."

She stands up and starts moving back towards the door.

"All I can hope is that you'll find some way of getting her to open enough to start talking to us again."

My girlfriend's sister stops right before the door.

"I'm sorry... I don't mean to dump all this on you so soon into your recovery, but I'm not really sure what else to try on my end."

The only reaction that comes to mind is to shrug at the uncertainty.

"I appreciate you coming to me about this. I can't promise results, but I can promise I'll try something."

"Thanks Faith. Feel better, okay?"

"You're welcome, and I will."

"Just focus on your recovery, and on Dawn. Everything else is under control, so don't worry about it."

Then Buffy turns around and walks out the door, leaving me alone in my hospital room with my thoughts.

_God I hate being alone with my thoughts. Too much actual thinking gets done. Did enough of that in prison cause... well, there wasn't much else for me to do beyond keep in shape. And even that involved a fair amount of thinking time. But I guess I have to do something about Dawn if I can. Buffy made it seem like whatever Dawn's going through is serious. Of course, Buffy has a habit of blowing things that aren't that major way out of proportion. So maybe it's not what she thinks it is._

A few minutes after Buffy left, I hear the door opening again to see Dawn walking through. She smiles at me with a rather strange, nervous smile I've never seen before. Despite that, I smile back, genuinely happy to see her.

"Hey..."

"Hi..."

Dawn starts making her way towards me.

"I missed you."

_She missed me?_

"You were only gone like ten minutes."

She seems to tighten up slightly at my words while she gets closer.

"I, I know but I just... I still missed you."

We get within inches of each other and she leans over the bedrail to kiss me, which I gladly accept. The kiss is simple and sweet at first but it eventually grows into something more passionate.

_Mmm, sometimes I just love this girl so much._

Our kiss lasts a couple minutes before we finally pull apart.

"Well if you keep kissing me like that, I'd miss you too."

My girl lets out a forced laugh. She stays silent for a moment before looking down at my bed.

"Do you... I know the, nurses said we weren't supposed to but, do you mind if I?"

Again she looks down at the bed and I do the same before getting her meaning.

"Oh, sure..."

I move over as much as I can to give her room on the bed to lie down, so she does. We put our arms around each other, enjoying the feel of each other's warmth. She's about as stiff as a board in my arms.

"I'm not about to turn down the warmth of a good woman."

Another forced laugh escapes her and that really starts to worry me.

"I love you Faith."

Feeling her head against my shoulder, I look down and kiss her on the top of her head.

"I love you too DK."

Her body presses full against mine when I say that.

_She's scared out of her mind about something. I can tell by the way she's holding me. Buffy must've been right, something's seriously wrong. And that means I have to do what I can to help. After all, Dawn's my girlfriend. What kind of person would I be if I didn't?_

**End of Chapter 18**


	19. Fear and, more fear

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 19**

Fear and, more fear

_It's not gonna come up. It's just... not._

I push Faith's wheelchair through the hallways of the hospital on our way to the rehab centre.

_She's probably not even thinking about it even for a second. Faith's not the kind of person who likes to dwell on the past all that much. She's more of a deal and move forward kinda person. There's no way that it's gonna be bothering her at all. I just have to stop thinking about it and it will be over. Except that I can't stop thinking about it. The only way I'll be able to stop thinking about it is if I ask her if she's still thinking about it, and if I do that then if she has stopped thinking about it, she'll start again, and start wondering why I'm so curious about it. And if she hasn't stopped thinking about it, she'll just start wondering why I'm so curious about her thinking about it._

_That would just open up a whole can of bad that I really don't want to have to deal with. Everything's fine. The woman I love is alive and well, which is the only thing that matters. Isn't it? That is the only thing that matters... I think. Of course, not thinking about it would be a lot easier if I could stop thinking about wanting to stop thinking about it. God, what's my damage? Now suddenly I'm thinking about thinking about wanting to stop thinking about it. Could someone just go ahead and hit me over the head with a two by four right now?_

Nothing happens and we keep going down the hall together.

_Please?_

Again nothing happens.

_There's never a tragedy around when you need one._

"Hey DK...?"

Looking down at my girlfriend in the wheelchair, I see her looking back up at me as best she can.

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

_She's been asking that a lot all of the sudden. It's starting to bug the crap out of me._

"Of course, I'm... I'm fine."

"Yeah? Cause you know if you wanted to talk about something, I'm here for you."

"I know. But there's nothing to talk about. Everything's fine."

"Okay..."

We turn down one of the corners and reach the front of the rehab centre.

_Oh look..._

"Here we are."

Two orderlies open the doors from inside to let us through.

"Hello Ms Lehane, how are you feeling today?"

"Good, actually, so good that I'm not even sure that I need therapy to get back on my feet..."

_Not this again._

"Faith, come on, you were in a coma for eight weeks. You need time to recuperate."

She scoffs at the idea.

"I didn't need any therapy after my last coma. I think I'll be fine."

_Why does she have to be so difficult about this?_

We stop near one of the first exercise areas. I move around so I can face her.

"That's cause you had eight months to let all your injuries heal. This time it's different, you've only been out for eight of the LONGEST weeks of my life. You need time to rest and recover. Just... let them do their job, Faith?"

My girlfriend seems to look at me for a couple seconds in silence.

"All right, for you..."

That puts a smile on my face and I step forward into her, giving her a kiss. It's short and sweet. Then I step back more than a few steps to let the orderlies do their work.

"Thank you Faith."

She smiles at me happily.

"Anything for my girl..."

Our eyes stay locked while the orderlies stand to either side of Faith.

"You better believe I'm your girl."

As I'm walking backwards, my heel hits the front of a sofa set against the wall and I lose my balance for a second.

_Oh, geez... gotta be careful._

I manage to get my balance back without tripping over myself and causing a scene, gently sitting down on the sofa to watch.

_She's not thinking about it. She's just focused on getting better, that's all. There's nothing to worry about._

* * *

We walk into the main hall of Faith's apartment building together.

_Wow, it feels like forever since I've seen this place. Almost like it's been a couple years instead of a couple weeks. For a while, I wasn't even sure I'd get to come here with Faith ever again._

Faith stops in the middle and takes a deep breath.

"Home sweet home... or whatever, right?"

Her words make me chuckle a bit.

"Yeah, it's a good thing you're a fast healer. Otherwise it might've taken a few more weeks to get through your therapy and come home. Not days."

She looks at me and smiles.

"I guess so. Come on, you wanna go up?"

Walking up to her, she puts her arm around my shoulders and I slide mine around her waist while heading to the elevator. I press the button to go up and we turn to each other while we wait. She's the first to say anything.

"I'm glad you're here babe."

"So am I. You're coming home is kind've a big deal."

The elevator dings and opens up, allowing us to step inside. Faith shrugs on the ride up, pushing the button for her floor.

"Apparently not enough to have anyone else come along though..."

When she says that, I look at her.

"Sorry, I should've thought. I just... you know you were in that coma for so long. I kinda wanted us to be all by ourselves tonight."

Both of us smile at that thought.

"Hey, I don't really have a problem with that. Just think you could've been a little nicer to your sister about not wanting her to come along is all."

_Why does she care?_

"Why?"

"Dunno. She just looked sorta hurt when you might as well have yelled at her to go home."

_She was there, she saw what happened. Why is she bringing this up again?_

"Well she kept insisting that she should come along. Even after I told her it wasn't necessary. What else was I supposed to do?"

"You could've let me say something. I didn't really get a chance to say much before you jumped all over her."

_Jumped all over her?_

"I didn't jump all over her. I just wanted her to go home instead of hanging around. What's wrong with that?"

She shrugs again.

"Nothing, really... I've just never seen you get so angry at your sister, at least not over something that small before."

_What is she trying to say?_

"What are you trying to say exactly?"

"Nothing, it was only a surprise to see. It's not really important right now."

My girlfriend steps up to me and puts her arms around my neck again.

"All that really matters right now is that I'm home."

Staring at her strangely for a minute, I finally smile as she pulls me in for a kiss. We let the kiss grow in passion while the elevator continues to go up. Eventually, it slows to a stop and we break apart at the elevator's ding. Our fingers lace together while we walk out onto Faith's floor toward her apartment.

_She's right. That is all that really matters._

Faith and I walk up to her door and she gets out her keys, unlocking the door. Once we're inside, I turn and face her to see how she's feeling.

"How does it feel?"

She takes another deep, almost cleansing sounding breath, walking around the main hall and into the living room, I follow her.

"Good... great actually..."

I put myself in front of her and let my arms wrap themselves around her waist lovingly.

_Good..._

"I bet I can make it even better."

I look into her eyes and she immediately gets this interested look in her eyes.

"Really? And how do you plan on managing that?"

While biting my lip suggestively, I try to make myself look as innocent as possible.

"Oh, I'm sure I could think of a few ways."

The woman I love leans into me and we start to kiss passionately. She puts her arms around me and everything deepens. My hands start to move over Faith's back and I pull her as close as she can be to me, pressing our bodies up against each other. Slowly, we make our way towards the couch when Faith's hands start to tease the skin just underneath my shirt. A moan escapes my lips as I sit down on the couch, and for a moment, Faith doesn't follow me.

_What?_

"What's wrong?"

She stares at me for a moment and then shakes her head.

"Nothing..."

_Okay..._

Faith climbs onto my lap on the couch and we start to make out again. She starts to move down my body, kissing my jaw and neck with just as much passion. I can't help but arch myself into her lips in pleasure. Wrapping my arms up onto her shoulders, I have to gasp because of what she's doing.

"Faith..."

All of the sudden she stops kissing my neck and just hangs there with her lips on my skin. Eventually, she pulls away so that our eyes meet. There's a strange confusing look in them that I've never really seen before.

"What? What's wrong?"

She shakes her head again and it worries the hell out of me.

"Faith?"

"Sorry... I feel a little weird."

_Kissing me is making her feel weird?_

"Did I do something?"

My girlfriend looks at me like I just grew an extra head.

"What? No, no, that was... everything was fine with that."

_Why doesn't she want to then?_

"You don't want to? Because I thought..."

"No, it's not you DK. Trust me."

Faith starts moving her arm before she grabs it and grimaces in pain.

"I guess, I'm just not completely a hundred percent yet. It's kinda killing the mood when I don't want it to. You know?"

_Oh..._

"Okay, well... we don't have to if you don't want to."

She looks at me sympathetically.

"It's not that I don't want to Dawn, trust me. I just, don't know if I can without hurting myself."

_I wouldn't want to hurt her. I did that enough already._

"Of course, if you want me to, I'd be more than willing to push through the pain for you."

"No, that's okay. I... I don't want you to get hurt. I just wanted your homecoming to be special. But having you be okay is special enough for me."

My slayer girlfriend smiles down at me from her position on the couch.

"You're sure?"

I do my best to smile back.

"Yeah, it's okay."

Then I sit up and put my arms around her stomach, hugging her gently at first to make sure I don't hurt her. She puts her arms around me and hugs me harder than I hug her, letting me know its okay to grip her a little tighter, so I do. We hold each other on Faith's couch.

"I love you Dawn."

_God it's such a good feeling to hear that._

"I love you too Faith."

_I just wish I wasn't lying to her._

**End of Chapter 19**


	20. Irrational Rationality

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 20**

Irrational Rationality

Her heart beats endlessly in my ear as I lay my head on Faith's chest, the same place it's been since we went to bed hours ago.

_God, that's such a beautiful sound. All that gentle, rhythmic thumping gives me such a good feeling inside. No matter how many times I hear it, I never get tired of it. That wonderful beat is so simple and yet so beautiful at the same time. I don't know how I could've ever worried that it would stop._

Reaching up gently, I place my hand on her naked chest to feel what I've been listening to with my fingers.

_Maybe, I did the right thing by casting that spell on her while she was in a coma. I mean, everything did end up working out in the end. Faith's awake and she's completely healthy. She may have had a problem or two because of it but she's recovered now and she's fine. The demon is dead. Everything worked out for the best in the end._

_So maybe... it was a good thing that I cast that spell on her. I don't know that things would've worked out the way they did if I hadn't. And since everyone I've ever loved almost always ends up getting taken away from me, maybe I did the best thing by not waiting around for Faith to be the next one._

_If doing the spell had been the wrong thing then some terrible disaster would've happened by now, wouldn't it? Tara always used to say that the universe has a way of balancing itself out when it needs to. So why hasn't the universe balanced itself out yet and done something terrible? Unless Faith getting hurt was the thing that unbalanced it and the spell I did that eventually woke her up was what balanced it out._

_What other explanation could there be?_

I can feel her chest rise and fall under me as her calm, steady breathing lets me know that she's alive. Every breath seems to make me feel even more alive then I feel, and I let my hand caress her skin lightly.

_Faith and I are together and everything's perfect. That's the only thing that matters. Anything else that might've happened is in the past and doesn't matter anymore. The two of us are the only thing in the world that makes any difference._

She shifts under me in what I think is her sleep, but the sound of her voice quickly puts an end to that theory.

"Hey... you still up?"

Slowly, I turn my head up to look in her eyes and she's smiling down at me, sleepishly.

"Yeah, couldn't really sleep."

There's a look of concern in her eyes.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Without really moving all that much, I shake my head.

"No I'm... I'm okay. I worked it out on my own. But thanks."

Faith reaches out and tucks my hair behind my ears.

"Well, I'd still like to know what was keeping you up so late. It must've been pretty important to keep you up."

_I can't tell her what I was thinking about. She'd... I don't know what she'd do actually, but I'd rather not take the risk._

"I... you know it wasn't life threatening, world ending type stuff. It was just some random thought I was having about something."

Her concern turns to slightly confused.

"About?"

_Why isn't she letting this go? Now I actually have to think of... well, at least it's half true I guess._

"I, I don't want to have to put this on you now. You just got out of the hospital and everything."

She gently pulls me up to her just enough for us to kiss sweetly.

"Tell me."

"Well, we... you know we kinda missed our anniversary."

The second I say the word anniversary she gets this sad look on her face that I feel terrible for putting there.

"God, DK, I'm sorry."

_Does she think I'm angry about it?_

"No, Faith, I... I'm not trying to make you feel bad or anything I... I was just thinking about it is all. You were in a coma because you went up against a demon that nearly killed a whole group of slayers. I understand."

My beautiful and heroic girlfriend touches my face gently. The feel of her hand on my skin feels so good.

"Still, it must've been a hard day for you to have to go through that. What with me lying there like a rock and not saying anything."

Trying my best to smile, I stare into her eyes.

"I got through it."

When I see her expression get even sadder, I feel like I need to do something to stop it.

"I'll make it up to you babe. I promise."

_She doesn't have to do that._

"You don't have to do that."

Then her expression changes and she tries her best to smile.

"I want to Dawn. It's kind of a big deal."

I do my best to shrug it off.

"I'll get over it. It's fine."

"It's a big deal for both of us Dawn, you and me both."

Lifting myself up a bit, I roll off of my girlfriend and lie down next to her.

"This is the first relationship I've ever had that has lasted long enough to even have a one year anniversary. I was actually kinda looking forward to sharing it with you."

_She was?_

"You were?"

"Yeah... before everything happened, I was starting to think about planning something for us then."

_She was?_

"You were?"

Faith chuckles in that sexy way that she does while she rolls over enough to look at me.

"Yeah, I was. Guess now that I'm awake and mobile again, I can finish what I was wanting to start before. Do you mind?"

_Do I mind?_

"And I would mind because?"

She smiles and it just makes me wanna kiss her so badly, so I do. We kiss and I can't help but let the happy feeling in me push the passion between us into making things deeper. After a few long moments of making out, we break the kiss. The two of us hold each other in bed tightly, enjoying the warmth of being together again.

"I promise, when we finally do celebrate our anniversary, it'll be a great night for both of us."

That puts a smile on my face.

_She has a habit of making those kinds of promises so much better than I expect them to be._

"Okay..."

Faith and I lie together in silence for a while and I start to feel a little sleepy.

"You're sure that was all that was bothering you DK?"

_Now? Yes..._

"Yes... I'm fine now. Thank you, you made me feel better."

I feel her lips on the side of my head as my eyes start to feel heavy and I close them.

"Any time babe, any time..."

Slowly, I drift off into sleep.

* * *

A pair of soft lips touch mine, gently waking me up in the absolute best way possible. Despite how short the kiss is, I moan and start stretching on the bed.

"Is it morning already?"

"Mhmm..."

_It doesn't feel like morning. It feels like I should still be asleep. But then, I always feel that way in the morning, whether I can get more sleep or not._

"Sorry to wake you up so early, but I wanted to say goodbye before I got an early start."

_Goodbye?_

"What time is it?"

"Five thirty in the morning."

Finally opening my eyes, I see Faith out of bed and getting dressed. The sight doesn't exactly make me feel good.

_Where is she going?_

"Are you going... slaying?"

_Wait, she said it was five thirty..._

Looking towards the nearby window, I can see some soft light seeping in through the blinds.

_She can't be going slaying with the sun coming up._

"Nope..."

"Where are you going then?"

She turns to me while she does up her pants. I sit up in bed to look at her.

"To the dojo..."

_The dojo..._

"But... the dojo doesn't open for another four hours. And... the first class isn't for five hours."

Faith finishes putting on her pants and then grabs her shirt, putting it on too.

"I know. I need to be there early though. Will and B were looking to do some research before the place opens and it'll go faster if I'm there."

_Why is she doing research? She hates research._

"What kind of research? There's nothing to research."

My girlfriend looks at me with a slightly confused look.

"Of course there is DK. That demon wasn't working for itself. And whatever it was working for is still out there somewhere. Buffy wants to work out a list of demons that might be able to hire a demon like that. In case it comes looking for its lackey. My guess is it'll be a pretty short list."

The idea her words give me sends a shiver of cold fear through my body. She seems to notice because she leaves her shirt just barely on before coming over and sitting on the edge of the bed next to me.

"Hey, it's all right. It's just a precaution... nothing to worry your pretty little head about okay?"

_She shouldn't be going at all. The demon is dead, the problem is solved._

"But... you hate research baby. You're always talking about how it's a lot worse then any torture you could've inflicted in your bad days. Why would you volunteer for it?"

She reaches up and cups my cheek lovingly.

"Because... the sooner I know that the two of us are safe from whatever it is that this thing wanted, the better off we'll be. And the sooner we can get back to our life together."

_She can be so sweet sometimes._

Gently, we lean into each other and kiss softly.

_That's completely besides the point though._

"Can't you just... let Buffy and Willow take care of it? They don't need you there. Not really. They spent seven years in Sunnydale researching demons. What can you do that they don't already know how to do?"

Faith has a little bit of a hurt look on her face from that but eventually only shrugs at me before getting up again and straightening out her shirt.

"Dunno, but I'm gonna find out."

_I don't want her to have to go alone._

"Well, let me come with you then. I... I have some experience researching demons. Maybe I could help."

She smiles at me.

"Thanks for the offer babe, but you've got school in a couple hours, remember? It's better if you just stay here and try and get a little more rest before you go. You missed a pretty big chunk of school because of me and I'd hate to think of what your sister would do to me if you missed any more."

_She always brings up my sister when we're talking about me doing something I don't really want to do. Sometimes that can get annoying. Especially because she's almost always right._

With a deep breath, I let out a frustrated sigh.

"All right, fine... I'll go to school."

I hear Faith chuckle while she crosses the room towards me and I let myself fall back flat onto the bed. Her beautiful smile hovers over me a few seconds later when she looks down into my eyes.

"Come by after school some time and help if you want. We'll do something together, like maybe a movie or something. Okay?"

_Ooh, I miss doing that. It's been so long since we've been on a date together. That'll be fun._

"Okay..."

Faith looks deep into my eyes and smiles happily.

"Good...."

She leans in and we kiss again, more passionately this time. We stay locked together for a good minute before pulling apart. There's an even happier smile on her face when she looks at me, gently pushing the hair out of my face.

"I'll see ya after school then. Make sure to lock the door when you leave."

Then she pulls away and heads for the door.

_Wait, I didn't..._

"Faith?"

The woman I love stops just in front of the door and looks at me.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

My words turn her smile into a bit of a grin.

"I love you too Dawn."

After that, she's gone.

_And now I'm here... all alone._

**End of Chapter 20**


	21. That Key Thing

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

Author Notes: Sorry about the long delay, I've been a bit busy with that life thing. I'll work on making better updates.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 21**

That Key Thing

Pushing the door open, I walk into the cafeteria for what feels like the first time in a long time.

_It feels like I haven't been here in a couple months, not a couple weeks. I stopped in from time to time to pick up homework and stuff, but otherwise I spent most of the last eight weeks at Faith's side. The place where I should be right now. There's no need for me to be here. No reason for me to sit around and learn things I don't really care about. What does matter is over at my sister's dojo right now, flipping through useless books._

I make my way over to a table and just sit down, no lunch to speak of.

_They aren't going to find anything, because there's nothing to find. That demon was looking for something that doesn't exist. The Key is gone, it died with Glory. And it's not coming back. Not ever. I know that. So there's nothing left to research. Except Buffy still insists that it's important, no matter how stupid an idea I think it is. She's always doing that... assuming the worst, even when there's nothing worth assuming._

_Not that Faith actually knows why Buffy is so focused on finding this demon's master or whatever. At least, I'm pretty sure she doesn't know. Because... I know that I haven't told her about it, and I'm pretty sure Buffy hasn't told Faith about it. And even though I'm sure Willow could tell Faith about it, I don't think she will. If she were, she probably would've done it by now, and I would've heard from Faith. She'd probably want to yell at me for not telling her... I think._

_I'm not really sure how Faith would react to finding out I didn't tell her about the demon wanting to find The Key. Maybe she might be okay with it. But I've been wrong before about my assumptions. All those times I was worried that she might have a problem with something I said or did, she was okay with them. She brushed them off like they were nothing. What if this time is different though? What if it's different because this time Buffy thinks that my life is in danger that Faith will want to yell at me for not telling her? It's... it's probably better that Faith doesn't know._

_There are a lot of things I think Faith would be better off not knowing about what happened while she was in a coma. Like the spell, for one. I did the right thing by casting it when I did. I know I did. She doesn't need to know about the good things that happened while she was unconscious. They don't matter anymore. The only thing that matters is what's happening now. We're together, and we're happy that way. Or at least, as soon as Buffy gives up this crazy wild goose chase that won't find anything we will be._

When I hear the nearby door open, I look up, almost as if fate wanted me to, I see Candy and Tess walking through, into the cafeteria.

_Of course, there's still a chance that everything could come crashing down around me I guess. If Candy ever decided to tell Faith, or my sister, about the spell I did, I don't think things would go so well for me. My sister would definitely go nuts. She'd probably rant and rave about how terrible a thing I did and try to ground me or something. Not that she can ground me, I'm 19 years old, but she'd try. And if she did, I'd just go stay with Faith for a while until she calmed down. Assuming that Faith didn't hate me too for what I did._

_She'd at least give me a chance to explain before doing anything about it... I think. Faith knows we missed our anniversary, and she knows that it was kind've a hard time for me. So it's possible that she'd just let it go and move on. But... I don't really know for sure so I'd rather not take the chance. And as long as Candy doesn't say anything, being the only person other than me who knows what I did then I won't ever have to find out, which is probably for the best._

_I did the right thing, casting that spell. It made everything work out for the best and now everything's fine. Anyone who doesn't understand that, isn't really my friend. They couldn't be. I just wish I knew for sure where Candy falls in. She hasn't said anything about the spell to anyone, as far as I know. Except that she wasn't exactly understanding about what I did after she found out. She might not have yelled like Buffy would, but she was definitely on my case._

My best friends finally notice me and start heading this way.

_So why hasn't she ratted me out yet? There've been plenty of moments where she could've done it no problem. But she hasn't. It doesn't make any sense. What does she get out of keeping my secret? Candy may not have always been the greatest of people towards me, but I can't see her wanting to use it for blackmail or something like that. Especially since there really isn't anything about me worth blackmailing. I don't have any powers, or special skills or anything like that. I can't do anything for her. Unless it's not blackmail she's after. But what else could she want?_

"Hey Dawn..."

I do my best to smile at them when Candy speaks.

"Hey guys..."

They both sit down like they're entitled to or something. Tess finally speaks up.

"How's it going?"

All I do is shrug.

"All right I guess."

Candy asks the question I know is laced with more than just concern.

"How's Faith?"

"She's fine. She went back to work today. So I guess she's pretty much recovered from what happened."

There's a silent moment where Candy and I just stare at each other, her real feelings about me saying that coming in loud and clear.

"I'm so glad to hear that. I was kinda worried about her for a while there. But I'm sure you had enough of that while she was out."

Looking away from Candy finally, I smile at Tess.

"Yeah, more than enough to last a lifetime, I'd be really happy if I didn't have to worry about anything for a long time."

Tess and Candy both kind of look at each other for a second.

"Well, I don't know if you're gonna get your wish. The way Buffy talks, we've got something worse coming our way soon."

"Yeah well, Buffy can be an idiot sometimes."

Again my two best friends look at each other strangely.

"You're not worried? She said that there could be something else looking for this Key thing that it wanted."

I shrug.

"My sister can assume the worst about things. I guess it's because we lived on a hellmouth for so long where bad things usually led to more bad things, but we don't live on a hellmouth anymore. And even if we did, whatever it is isn't going to find what it's looking for."

Both my friends look at me like I'm crazy.

_I'm not crazy, I know it's true._

"Why?"

_Of course they were going to ask me that question. I never did tell them the truth about me, where I came from, what I used to be._

"Because, The Key is gone... it doesn't exist anymore."

Candy and Tess get a confused look on their faces.

"There was this thing back in Sunnydale. A demon came after The Key. It was looking for it and tried to end the world with it."

They get even more confused.

"So I guess the demon never found it then? Since we're all still here and the world is too."

"Not exactly... the demon, her name was Glory... she found The Key and used it. But Buffy stopped the world from ending by sacrificing herself for it."

My best friends seem to understand a little more.

"That's why she died and went to heaven before. She never did go into details about it when I asked."

"Yeah, it's not something she likes to talk about unless she has to."

Both of them stay silent for a second, looking like they're expecting more, before Tess confirms their curiosity.

"So... then what happened to it?"

"The demon? Glory's dead. She bled to death from the beating Buffy gave her with this huge hammer of a troll god thing."

Tess looks at me like I grew a second head.

"No, I meant, The Key. What happened to it?"

"It's gone."

"Gone?"

"Yeah, it's gone. Which is why the demon wasn't going to find anything, and neither is whatever it was working for, if there even is something out there."

The two of them look at me puzzled for a second.

"What do you mean, gone?"

_What do they think I mean?_

"It's gone. It doesn't exist anymore. There isn't anything left for anyone to find."

Their confused expressions don't exactly go away.

"How do you know?"

I take a deep breath.

"Trust me, I know."

Tess keeps pushing the issue.

"Okay but, how?"

_They just aren't gonna let this go._

"It doesn't matter. The point is, The Key is gone, and it's not coming back, just leave it alone would you?"

The way they're looking at me tells me that they don't really want to.

"Okay..."

"Sure, whatever."

_That isn't gonna last long. I need to get out of here._

"Look, I'm not all that hungry. I don't even know why I came in here since I don't have a lunch. I'm gonna go."

"Or you could stay. I mean, we haven't seen a lot of you in the past little while."

I'm about to respond when I find out I don't have to, thanks to Candy.

"Hey if she wants to go, let her go."

_Well that works out better._

Getting up quickly, I start walking away.

"I'll see you guys later."

We don't say anything else to each other before I reach the door and leave.

_They don't know what they're talking about. They didn't live through what I lived through when Glory came after me. The Key is gone. There's nothing left to find and everyone should stop trying._

**End of Chapter 21**


	22. Fighting Over What's Wrong

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 22**

Fighting over what's wrong

_Faith should be home by now._

Stepping into the elevator of Faith's apartment building, I press the button for her floor.

_I could really use some time with her after the day I've had. She always makes me feel good and I could use some goodness right now. Today was not a good day. All that time I wasted in class, making it seem like I was paying attention to all sorts of classes that don't really matter in the end... pretending that they matter to me when they don't mean a thing. There used to be a time when they meant a lot to me. I remember sitting around in class, absorbing every bit of information my teachers could dish out._

_Somehow it feels like a lifetime ago since I was that person. All that time I spent studying and reading everything I could get my hands on and learning everything I can. For what? To have my girlfriend almost die in a fight with a demon? How does my education make that better? How does it help her heal and get back out there to do something worthwhile like fighting evil and saving the world? How is me knowing about facts and dates in history going to make a bit of difference to saving the world?_

_Not that I could save the world if I wanted to. I don't have anything close to a power that could help save anyone, least of all myself. So all the math, science, and art that I've been learning all these years doesn't make a difference in the big picture. It's all... just useless._

The elevator dings and the doors open up, letting me out on to Faith's floor. Immediately, I leave the elevator and start heading down the hall towards Faith's place.

_That's why I need to see Faith. She always makes me feel better about everything. No matter what's happening or how useless I feel, I always feel like I make a difference when I'm with Faith. She always makes me feel like I matter because she knows me, and really cares about me. There isn't anyone else who knows me the way Faith knows me. I have to see her. She'll make everything better again. I know it._

When I get to Faith's door, I immediately knock. There's no answer. After waiting about 30 seconds, I knock again.

_Where could she be? She's usually home from the dojo by now._

Again there's no answer, so I knock harder.

_Did she go out somewhere and not tell me? Why wouldn't she let me know that she wasn't going to be here?_

It takes me a few seconds before I decide to pull out my cell phone and call her. I hit the number 2 on my speed dial and put the receiver to my ear to listen.

_She'd be number 1 on my speed dialer if the damn phone company didn't reserve that spot automatically for voice mail._

The phone rings for a while and no one picks up.

_What's going on? Is she all right?_

Eventually, she picks up.

"Hello?"

_Oh thank god._

"Hey..."

"Oh... hey DK..."

_Oh? She sounds like something's wrong._

"Hey... is everything all right?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be? Where are you?"

Slowly, I start idly pacing in the hallway.

"I'm over at your place looking for you, where are you?"

There's a short pause before she responds.

"I'm at the dojo Dawn, researching the demon? Remember? We talked about you coming by after school to help this morning?"

_Oh, geez, right... I forgot._

"Right... yeah... crap..."

All there is for a second is the background noise of people working and researching.

"Sorry... I'll, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Okay... I'll see ya then."

_She doesn't have anything else to say or anything?_

"That's it?"

Another pause stretches out for a second.

"Five by five, why?"

_Why?_

"Well, I... nothing..."

"Cool. I'll see ya when you get here then. I... need to talk to you about something."

Then the line goes dead. Closing my phone gently, I kinda stop in the middle of the hallway for a second.

_She, needs to talk to me about something? About what? What could she need to talk to me about? I... I can't think of anything we need to talk about. Why would we need to talk about something?_

My legs start working again and I walk down the hallway right to the elevator I left only a second ago. Pushing the button, I wait for the elevator to come back up.

_What could be going on?_

The dojo's front entrance comes into view just down the street and I pick up my pace a little to try and get there as soon as possible.

_Something must have happened. Something really terrible if Faith is telling me she needs to talk to me about something. But what could've happened? Did the demon come back? Did it have some kind of resurrection power that we didn't know about? What else could've happened that would make Faith need to talk to me? Unless... there could be something happening in Cleveland or something, an apocalypse or something. That happens a lot on a hellmouth. I should know._

_It doesn't happen as often as it did in Sunnydale, but it still happens from time to time. Maybe something really bad is going down and they need the leaders to help. I don't like the idea of Faith having to go off and fight any more than I like Buffy doing it, but I know it has to be done._

_If the world ends, it doesn't really matter whether they go or stay behind. But they do have all that experience making sure the world doesn't end that I know they're the best people for the job. Whatever's happening, I know it must be something big. I just hope Faith isn't going to have to do a lot of fighting, especially after what she's just been through._

I make it to the front of the dojo and shove the doors open, rushing right in, expecting something big to be going on. All I get is a regular day. There are girls everywhere in the dojo, doing all sorts of different training techniques, but they aren't doing anything that could be considered preparing for war.

_It's just... normal._

As I look around at everyone, some of them look back because of the commotion I made bursting through the door and some just ignore me. That feeling of dread I felt ever since I spoke to Faith on the phone a while ago disappears, but it's replaced by this other weird feeling.

_Why is everything fine? What's going on that Faith needs to talk to me if everything's fine? I... everything looks fine. What's going on? I... I don't understand._

When I look at the table near the back of the room, I notice Buffy, Willow, and a couple other slayers sitting around the table, looking through books.

_Oh, there they are. They can tell me what's going on. But... why isn't Faith with them? Where is she?_

Walking as straight as I can through the crowd of slayers, I go right up to the table with my sister and her best friend.

"Hey, guys... what's going on?"

Buffy and Willow are the first to look up at me, followed by the rest of the table.

"Faith said she needed to talk to me when I talked to her earlier on the phone? What's up?"

The people around the table all look at each other briefly before Willow decides to speak up.

"She's in there."

My sister's redheaded witch of a best friend points towards the back room. When I look there, I see Faith standing just inside the door looking at me with this blank but determined look on her face.

_Why is she looking at me like that?_

Then I see Faith turn around and head into the back room out of sight. I look at Buffy and Willow. Buffy has a look of concern staring back at me whereas Willow has something closer to sympathy.

_I... I don't understand. What's going on?_

It takes me another second to look towards the door to the back room then back at my sister, and at the door again before heading to it.

_Faith will know. She'll explain everything. I know she will._

As I walk in there, I see Faith sitting on a familiar bench in the back room of the dojo, staring at the floor. I'm not really sure what to do, so I slowly approach her.

"Hey..."

My girlfriend slowly looks up at me and there's a little bit of a smile on her face, but less of one then I normally see. There's a little bit of sadness in them.

"Faith, what's going on? What did you need to talk to me about? It sounded important."

She takes a deep breath and sighs. Eventually, she gets up and faces me. Her voice sounds sad when she speaks.

"Yeah, it is..."

_Okay..._

"What is it?"

Faith pauses for a moment as she looks at me. Another deep breath is taken from her.

"Funny thing happened today Dawn."

_It did?_

"What happened?"

"Candy and Tess came by the dojo after school, kind've frantic about something."

_They did? Why would they...? Oh... no..._

"They came in, asking all sorts of question about The Key, saying that it was somehow a threat."

_What do I do? What do I say?_

"I thought they were crazy at first. I mean, we weren't even researching anything about The Key as far as I know, and if it was somehow a threat again, I would think that someone would've told me. Like say, my girlfriend who actually happens to be The Key they're all talking about."

Neither of us says anything for a second.

"Then suddenly, everyone starts filling me in on all sorts of details about what happened to the demon that nearly killed me that I'd never heard before."

Again there's silence in the room. I wanna say something but my mouth isn't working properly.

"How could you not tell me about this?"

"I..."

_I'd like to say more but I don't know what I would say even if I knew what to say._

Faith seems to get quiet suddenly and stares at me, almost pleading for an answer.

"I... I don't know. I... I didn't think it mattered."

_From the way the hurt on her face is getting worse, I don't think I said the right thing._

"Why not?"

_I..._

"I don't know. I guess... I just thought that... the demon is dead so what does it matter?"

She lets silence hit us for a few seconds.

"So... the reason I almost died... doesn't matter?"

_Oh my god..._

"NO... no, I... I didn't mean it like that I... It's..."

_I have no idea how to explain this to her._

"Or maybe it's just me that doesn't matter."

_What?_

"No, no I... how can you say that? I, I love you Faith."

My angry girlfriend takes up a defensive posture.

"Apparently not enough to be honest with me though..."

There's a sick feeling in my stomach as Faith continues.

"I've been out of my coma for weeks now, and the first time I'm hearing about why I nearly died fighting this demon is from a couple of high school kids."

_What's that supposed to mean?_

"They're my friends, and they're slayers... or, at least, one of them is anyway. They aren't just in high school and they're NOT kids. And neither am I."

Faith stays locked in her defensive stance.

"I never said you were Dawn. The point is, the person I should be hearing this from was you. But instead I heard it from Candy and Tess, and I don't understand why. Ever since I woke up, everyone's been walking on eggshells around me, trying to act like everything was okay when I knew it wasn't, and I couldn't figure out why. And the only thought that keeps running through my head is... am I not important enough for you to tell me the truth? Do I not matter enough for you to let me in on the reason for the demon's attack?"

"Of course you... I... of course you are Faith."

"Of course I am important enough, or of course I'm not?"

_We're... we're fighting about this. I don't want to fight about this. Faith and I don't fight about anything and I don't like it that we are. I just want Faith to understand and stop fighting with me so she can forgive me._

"Of course you're important enough to know why the demon was hurting people. I... I just... with the demon dead, I didn't want you to have to worry about anything. Even if it did want The Key, it's not going to get it now, even if what it wanted did still exist."

_I need to make us stop fighting._

Walking up to her, I look in her eyes.

"Faith.... I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I should have, I see that now. But can't we just let it go and be okay?"

The anger in her eyes seems to lessen and I hope I'm getting through to her.

"I don't know Dawn. I... I'm not sure I can."

"But... I'm sorry, and I love you."

I reach out to touch Faith when I get close enough and she turns away, putting some distance between us. She lets out a painful sigh when she does.

"Dawn... you say that like it just fixes everything and nothing's wrong again. But... it isn't."

When she lets out a deep breath, I can't help but feel like my stomach's being stepped on.

"What are you saying?"

There's silence in the room for a long time.

"Faith?"

It takes her another little while to finally say anything.

"I can't believe I'm about to be this clichéd, but... after everything that's happened in the last little while. I think... maybe I need to take some time and space to try and deal with it."

_Wait... wait, wait, wait... does she mean?_

"Space... from me?"

She doesn't say anything, but the look of pain in her eyes before she drops her head down tells me the answer.

_Why is she doing this? She doesn't have to do this._

"But... I'm, I'm sorry. I really am."

There's nothing but silence from Faith as she forces herself to look at me with glassy eyes.

_Or maybe those are mine._

"I, didn't mean to not tell you I just... I wanted things to be like they were. Before the demon, before your coma when life was a lot more fun. I'm sorry."

Again the room is left silent for a while before Faith speaks.

"I know, Dawn. But we made a promise to each other when we got together. You remember?"

_God... don't bring this up. I don't want her to bring it up._

"After everything that happened to us that almost broke us up before we even had a chance to be together, we promised each other that we'd always be honest with each other. And you broke that promise Dawn."

_No..._

"I know... I'm, I'm sorry."

Faith sighs heavily and tries to keep back the sadness I can see in her eyes.

"I can't just let that go, no matter how much I might want to."

_Is she breaking up with me?_

"I don't want us to break up DK. I love you and still want to be with you. But, I do think we need to spend some time apart. Can you understand that babe?"

_No... I don't._

"No... Faith I..."

I try to get as close as I can to her but when we get a few steps apart, she takes a step back and I stop.

"I'm so sorry baby. I really am. Can't I just... remember to be completely honest and tell you everything from now on? Can't we just, work this out together and not be apart? I... I can do better. I can be better. I won't lie to you or keep anything from you ever again. I promise."

My girlfriend looks at me with pain in her eyes for a long time before she closes the gap between us, reaching out and cupping my cheek with her palm.

"I hope so."

The feeling of her hand on my skin makes me turn my face into her touch a bit while I place my hand on top of hers.

_She feels so good._

"But for now I have to go."

_What? No..._

"No, Faith..."

She pulls her hand away from me and I grab her as she starts to move towards the door.

"Faith, please, you... you don't have to do this..."

When I tighten my grip on her arm, I feel her grab my wrist firmly and try to pull me off her.

_I won't let go... I can't..._

"I can do better. I know I can be more honest, just, please don't do this."

Being ten times stronger than me, it isn't hard for her to peel me off her slowly and gently.

"I'm sorry DK. I have to."

I can feel the tears coming and my stomach turning even more.

_She can't. I don't understand._

"Why?"

Her eyes almost look right into my soul as she stares at me, speaking her last words.

"Because it's the right thing to do... and I love you..."

Then she turns around and leaves me behind.

**End of Chapter 22**


	23. Empty Glasses

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 23**

Empty Glasses

My pillow is wet and sticky as I can't stop crying my eyes out into it.

_She did it. She really did it._

I all but scream into my pillow at the thought.

_She left me because she needed space. How could she do that? How could she leave ME and not understand why I did it. Faith always understands. She always knows exactly why I do the things I do, sometimes even before I know why I do them. So why didn't she understand now? Why couldn't she just understand what I was trying to do and love me for it? Why is this time any different? I just don't understand._

There's a gentle hand on my shoulder all of sudden, but it's not the hand that I want to be touching me.

"I'm so sorry Dawn."

Doing my best to wipe the tears off my face with my sleeve, I hold back the tears long enough to pull my head up off my pillow and look up at my sister.

_I don't even know what to say to that. She looks so sad for me, like she pities me or something._

"Can I do anything?"

All I do is drop my face back into my pillow.

"I can make you some tea or something. It might make you feel better."

_She wants to make me tea?_

"No."

"Are you sure? It could make you feel a lot better. I know it always helps me when I'm not in the best mood."

"I don't want any stupid tea."

Silence hits my bedroom for a while and I can feel the tears coming back.

"I think we have some cookie dough ice cream in the freezer. You know how much you like cookie dough ice cream. I'll go get some if you want."

_God, can't she just shut up already?_

"No, just go away already."

"I'm sorry Dawnie... I just can't stand to see you like this. It's been days since you had that fight with Faith and you're still hurting. I want to do something to help."

I breathe into my pillow heavily.

"You can't help. No one can help. Just go away."

_The only one who can help is Faith, and she's not coming anywhere near me._

A soft hand starts playing with my hair, combing it out a bit.

"Dawn, I know it feels that way now, but it won't always. Things will get better with time."

_Some how that doesn't make me feel any better._

"And I know that doesn't help much. But you said yourself that Faith said she didn't want to break up with you."

_What the hell does that have to do with anything?_

"So?"

"Well, if she doesn't want to break up with you, then that means you're still together. And if you're still together, then maybe if you wait things out, she'll come back and tell you how sorry she is for doing what she did to you and you'll get back together. Just like old times."

_Yeah right, like that'll happen._

"Right, because things always worked out that way for you."

Silence follows my words and I think for a second that she'll leave me alone now. Until, she takes a deep breath and opens her damn mouth.

"Dawn, I know that you're upset right now, but this isn't about me and my relationships. If you want me to, I'd be willing to talk to Faith for you. See if I can get her to change her mind."

_Is she trying to interfere again?_

"No... I don't want you doing anything that could make things worse. You do that enough already."

"Well, you never know. It might actually work."

_Can't she shut up now?_

"Right, because you're completely impartial and wouldn't get ANYTHING out of it."

Buffy doesn't say anything for a second.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, it doesn't matter."

There's a long moment of silence for a while before Buffy finally breaks it.

"You know, I know you said that you didn't want any, but I think you could really use some ice cream right now. I'm gonna go get you some."

_Good, that means she can go away and leave me alone for a while, stop trying to make things better._

"Whatever..."

I feel Buffy get up off my bed and hear footsteps away from me.

"Okay, I'll be right back."

She finally leaves me alone in my room and I feel a little bit better.

_Thank god she's gone. I only wish she wasn't coming back. Ice cream isn't going to make me feel any better than the piece of crap I feel like right now. Faith left me. It doesn't matter if it's only temporary, or permanent, she left me. I'd need something a hell of a lot stronger than ice cream to make this sick feeling in my stomach go away. And Buffy would never let me have any of that. Not willingly anyway._

_Faith would. But that's because she trusts me. Or at least, she used to. She doesn't anymore. If she trusted me and really loved me, she would've understood why I didn't tell her about the demon and let it go. But she didn't. She doesn't trust me enough to think that I might know what's best. After all this time and being together for over a year... after all the ways I've proven how mature and responsible I am... Faith still thinks of me like some stupid little kid who needs to be protected and lead by the hand through everything. A kid who needs to be taught right from wrong._

Pulling myself up from my bed, I cringe at the ache in my muscles from lying here, crying for the past few hours.

_But I'm not some stupid kid anymore. And ice cream isn't what I want to make me feel better. I'm not just gonna sit around and eat something I don't want. I'm gonna go out and get what I really want._

Quietly, I make my way over to the window and start opening it with as little noise as I can make.

_It's a good thing I never took off my shoes when I came in here. Buffy might've heard me otherwise._

As soon as the window is open enough, I climb my way out.

_I really need a drink._

_  
*B *R *E *A *K

I bring the shot glass up to my lips and hold it there for a second as I take a deep breath.

_This is good._

Suddenly, I throw my head back and force the shot down my throat when I swallow it. The cold liquid stings my throat on the way down but it makes me feel better.

_Ugh, I feel better already._

After taking a second to let the burning sensation in my throat and stomach die down some, I set the shot glass down next to the three other empty shot glasses I drank before.

_I can almost not barely feel a thing that could resemble a bad feeling. And somehow knowing that is making me have a good feeling just a little bit._

The world gets a little blurry and I squeeze my eyes shut for a second to shake my head and let the blurriness pass.

_Damn, I need more._

Reaching out with my hand, I grab my beer and hold the glass firmly between my fingers.

_I have to make myself feel so good that I don't feel bad anymore. It's the only way to get this to go away._

My lips touch the cold of the glass and I gently turn my head upwards, tipping the liquid down towards my mouth. Every time my mouth gets full, I swallow it, feeling this warm feeling wash over me. Eventually, I bring the now half empty glass back down to the table.

_Oh, yeah, that makes me feel so much better. Or at least, less worse than before._

For a while, I just stare down at my beer in my hands.

_But I can still feel it. That horribly guilty feeling I've been feeling ever since I fought with Faith in the back room of the dojo. There has to be some way that I can make it go away._

"Hey..."

When I look up from my frothy and delicious thankfully mind altering beer, I see a guy standing next to my table smiling at me.

"Dawn, are you all right?"

_Don't I know him from somewhere? Oh, right... Craig, I think._

"I'm... fine..."

The look on his face tells me he doesn't believe me.

"So, you're sitting alone with about 6 empty glasses of what I'm assuming isn't kool-aid, because you're fine."

_Why did he have to come over? Oh wait, I don't care._

"Whatever..."

Somehow he takes that as his cue to slide into the booth next to me.

"What happened? And can I do anything?"

I shake my head no but the shaking makes the world go all wonky and I squeeze my eyes shut before stopping to get the world back to a semi-normal feeling.

"I'm fine..."

"You said that already. But you didn't answer my question. What happened?"

"None of your bus... business..."

He seems a little bit frustrated by hearing that and for some reason that makes me feel really good about myself.

"If you don't tell me what's wrong, then I'm not sure I can help."

I have to smile at that.

"That's... kinda the point of not telling you. I, don't want your help. Go away."

The guy who hit on me once doesn't seem to take the hint.

"Well, I don't like the thought of leaving you sitting here alone and obviously drunk. Is Faith here with you tonight? Because if she comes back or I can see her then I'd be more than happy to leave you alone."

Hearing someone else say her name doesn't exactly make me feel better and I pick up my beer and take a good long sip of it before putting it down again. Meanwhile he starts looking around the club for Faith.

"No, she's not here tonight. That's kinda the problem."

He seems sad by that news.

"Oh, did you two have plans tonight that she cancelled?"

_Yeah, right, cancelled plans..._

"More like she cancelled our whole relationship..."

Craig doesn't say anything for a bit, the club music and people pounding around us. In the meantime, I take another long sip of my beer, enjoying the numb feeling it's starting to give me.

"Oh... I'm sorry. When did that happen?"

His question makes me scoff.

"If you ask her, it didn't."

There's a moment of silence for a while before he says anything.

"Uh, okay, I'm confused."

I can't help but chuckle at that feeling, lifting my beer close to my lips.

"We must have more in common than just chemistry then, because I know exactly what you're feeling."

Then I take a long drink of my beer, finally finishing off the glass. When I slam the empty glass down on the table, I get this bad feeling in my stomach.

_Oh, that's not good._

"Well... I'm not exactly an expert on relationships since I've only had like one real one in my life, but my parents always taught me that the best thing to do when something goes wrong is talk about it."

_Pfft, what a load of crap._

"Guess it's too bad I never had parents to tell me that then."

Craig doesn't say anything right away.

"Uh, okay, I don't really know what that's supposed to mean. But I still think it makes sense to try. Have you tried talking to her?"

_Talk to her... whatever..._

"Been there, done that... didn't really work out."

"Well... try again. Maybe this time it will."

_Why is he trying so hard to help? Wasn't he hitting on me before?_

"Weren't you the guy who hit on me and asked me out a couple weeks ago? Why are you trying to help?"

He holds up his hands defensively, and the movement kinda makes my head swim a bit.

"Hey, you know, I'm not about to stick my head in where it doesn't belong. It'd be really great, I admit it. But I'm kinda big on the whole loyalty thing. I don't want to get in the middle of a lover's quarrel. So instead I'm all for giving unsolicited advice. Go ahead, talk to her. Is she here?"

I scoff at him again.

"Yeah right..."

"Okay then... why not go talk to her?"

"Because..."

Apparently he doesn't take that as enough of a reason.

"Because why?"

_Does he really want to know?_

"Because no one ever listens to me... so, even if I wanted to... talk... she wouldn't listen."

_I could talk until I'm blue in the... face, which wouldn't be too hard with the way I'm feeling... and she'd never hear a word I say._

Looking down at my empty glasses of what used to be good tasting alcohol, I kinda wanna punch something.

_Fucking bitch... how could she do this to me? I can't make this feeling go away._

"I need another drink."

I shove him a little bit to get him out of the way.

"Get out of the booth so I can get another drink."

Before he has a chance to say or do anything, I shove him again, making him finally move.

"Move..."

He slides out of the booth and I follow him quickly.

"All right, fine, geez."

When I manage to get upright, I start feeling woozy and almost fall over. Thankfully, he catches me. His body pressed against mine protectively.

"Whoa... maybe you should be skipping the drinks for a while."

I slowly get my balance back.

_Who the hell is he to tell me what to do? And why is he still holding me?_

My hands find his shoulders and I push him away as much as I can.

"Let me go."

He lets me go and I step back as much as I can to get away, stumbling and almost falling again.

"And don't... tell me what to do."

Again he holds up his hands defensively.

"Okay, sorry I tried to help."

Then he turns around and starts walking away.

_Why do people keep doing that to me?_

Part of me wants to go and tell him not to leave.

_That would make me pretty pathetic though. So screw him._

Even though I'm a little tipsy, I turn around and start making my way towards the bar.

_I'm better off with drinks. At least they're guaranteed not to hurt me. They don't tell me I'm a bad person. Or that I made the wrong choices. They don't tell me not to do what I think is right... and they certainly don't tell me that they need fucking 'SPACE'._

Finally, I make it to the bar and lean against it, waiting for the bartender to come over.

_God I just want to smack her for saying that. 'She needs space'. What a load of crap. And here I thought we could get through anything because we loved each other. I guess she didn't love me as much as I thought she did, which just makes me want to hurt her more. Or yell at her. I don't know. But I want to do something that'll make her feel as badly as I'm feeling right now._

The bartender comes up to me finally and I do my best to smile, acting like I'm not as piss drunk as I feel.

"What can I get ya?"

"Whiskey... straight..."

He looks at me for a second, trying to figure out just how drunk I am.

"Please?"

It takes him another few seconds to decide, but eventually he pulls out a whiskey bottle and a glass, pouring it in for me. When he's finished I pick up the glass, but what he says stops me from drinking.

"Enjoy it, because it's your last."

_What?_

Throwing my head back, I drink the whiskey down in one gulp, slamming the glass down on the counter.

"What the hell? Why?"

He stares at me for a while and the whiskey hits me like a ton bricks for a second.

"You're drunk off your ass. You've been here 2 hours and already you've had three shots and two beers. That whiskey isn't going to be doing you any favors... which means if you have any chance of going home under your own power, you're not drinking any more booze."

_But... I still hurt._

"Well, I... I'm not drunk yet. I... I could have at least 3 or 4 more beers and be fine."

There's a look of obvious doubt on his face.

"Honest..."

"Look, whatever problem you're having, go home and solve it. Don't bring it here and hope it goes away at the bottom of a glass. Go home."

"But... I'm not done yet..."

"You are here."

The bartender then turns around and starts serving other customers.

_God..._

I pick up the glass still on the table and throw it at the bartender as hard as I can. He just barely sees it in time and ducks, letting it shatter on the bar.

_Damn it... I... I need to get drunk._

"GIVE ME A DRINK!"

The asshole of a bartender then looks over my shoulder for a second and nods. A hand touches my shoulder and I turn around to see a very large, well muscled guy standing behind me in a 'Security' shirt.

"All right, I think you've had enough. Let's get you some air."

_No..._

"I don't want air. I want another drink. And this guy won't give me one."

"Probably because you just tried to bash his head in with a flying glass, now let's go."

He grabs me by both shoulders and I try and shrug him off but he's a lot stronger than I am. So I try harder.

"Look, I'm sorry. I'll... I didn't mean to I just... if you give me another drink, I'll be good."

The bartender ignores me.

"I-I'm sorry... please..."

_I have to keep drinking to make the pain stop._

"Just... just give me another drink..."

There's suddenly a hand around my waist pulling me away from the table.

"Nope, come on now babe. You had your chance, now it's time to go."

I squirm as much as I can to get out of his grip but that only makes him wrap both arms around me and grip me tighter on his way to the door. A gust of cold air hits me and I look behind me to see the front door wide open and both of us heading for it.

"Please, I... I'm sorry... I'll... I'll pay for the glass. Just... let me have, another drink."

Then I get this sudden lurch in my stomach that has nothing to do with alcohol and I land face first into the pavement. My hands and knees don't do much to protect me, scraping my palms and knees on the pavement when I hit.

_Fuck!_

Rolling over and sitting on the pavement, I look up at the security guard staring at me.

"Go home already."

After that he turns around and closes the door behind him. The bouncer isn't too far away and he's trying not to focus on me, but other people standing in line to get into the club are looking at me. Some of them whispering to each other something I can't hear. And then all I feel is that horrible sick feeling in my stomach... making me want to cry.

_How could she?_

I can't hold them back anymore, and I just let the tears come.

_How could she do this to me?_

**End of Chapter 23**


	24. Future Normalcy

Disclaimer: All those involved with the story that I didn't create myself out of thin air belong to Joss Whedon and anyone associated with him who is lucky enough to be a part of writing, producing, funding, or drawing the characters that he created from that insane mind of his that we all love so much.

Rating: Mostly PG-13 but I'm not opposed to the idea that it'll get closer to R or NC-17 in the near future.

Feedback: Anything you're willing to give me is fine in whatever way you'd like to give it to me. :)

Distribution: Anywhere other than where I put it, lemme know and I'm sure it'll be fine.

**Just a College Girl Chapter 24**

Future Normalcy

My stomach empties itself into the toilet bowl and it doesn't exactly make my massive headache feel any better.

_She did this to me._

Pulling back from the inside of the bowl, I pull my hair back and breathe deep to try and take deep breaths to keep the next part of my lunch from coming up.

_This is all her fault. If she had at least tried to understand why I didn't tell her the truth about the Faraquad demon, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe I wouldn't have gone out drinking and now spending my whole morning with my head in a toilet trying not to let my headache kill me._

I sit down on the cold stone floor of the bathroom.

_Why would she do that to me?_

Again my dinner comes back up and I throw my head over the toilet, letting my lunch force its way back into my throat and out between my lips.

_How could she leave me to suffer like this?_

There's a gentle knock at the door before my sister opens the bathroom door. So I wipe my mouth off and turn to look at her peaking out from the doorway.

"Hey..."

"Are you feeling any better Dawnie?"

All I can do is glare back at her for the stupid question.

"What does it look like?"

She's quiet for a second.

"Sorry... I just wanted to say... you have a visitor."

_A visitor?_

"Who the hell is coming to visit me? I... don't want to see any... visitors."

"Well, come out and tell her that yourself because I'm not going to do it."

Then she leaves the doorway back out into the rest of the apartment.

_God, why does she have to be so difficult?_

Painfully, I pull myself up from the floor, my head throbbing worse the more vertical I get. The first few steps I take have me staggering a little, so I stop and straighten myself out very little before getting a more sure footing in my walk.

_Whoever the hell it is they can just turn around and go home. I'm not in a talking mood right now and there isn't anyone who could..._

When I get to the door and walk through it, I look up and Buffy points me to the direction of the couch. Faith is sitting on the back of the couch, nervously playing with the zipper of her jacket at the hem.

"I'll give you two some time."

Buffy goes over to the front door, picks up her keys and a stake, then leaves.

_What the hell is she doing here?_

The woman I love looks up at me and attempts to smile.

_How can she even pretend like she's happy to see me?_

"Hey..."

_Why is she here?_

"What do you want?"

Her attempt to look happy to see me immediately goes away and she frowns, looking down at the floor again.

"Your... your sister called, said you disappeared from your bedroom last night. So I took a couple of the slayers out looking for you. We spent most of the night searching for you. But then B called and said she found you passed out against the front door. I had to come by and see if you were all right."

_She's trying to act like she cares about me now?_

"I'm fine..."

She looks up at me again and I can tell she doesn't believe me.

"You don't look fine."

_What does it matter to her?_

"Well then you need to get glasses, because I'm fine."

Faith stands up, taking a step or two forward.

"Did you go out drinking or something? You kinda look a little hung over."

_What the hell is she trying to do?_

"Does it matter? I mean, do you really care?"

A hurt look flashes in her eyes and for some reason I feel really good about it, then just a little bit of anger eventually creeps onto her face.

"What do you mean DK? Of course I care... you're my girl."

_Her girl?_

"Yeah, sure... I'm your girl you broke up with."

The pained look on her face gives me an extra good feeling.

"Dawn, I didn't... you know that when I said we needed some space from each other, I didn't mean the kind that meant we were broken up. I told you that."

_Whatever..._

"And the difference is?"

She walks up to me and I take a step back but then she stops so I don't go any further.

"Babe... I love you."

Her hand touches my cheek. It feels so good on my skin that I close my eyes and enjoy the warmth.

"You know that..."

_God she feels so good._

As close as we are, I can't help but lean forward into her. But before I can kiss her, she pulls back. We look into each other's eyes and something about the hurt look makes me wanna punch her.

"What's wrong?"

"Dawn... I..."

She lets go and steps back.

"I came by to make sure you were okay."

"But..."

When I try and get closer she backs off.

"I thought..."

"I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression by coming here DK, I didn't want to do that to you. But I had to know that you were okay."

_That's all?_

"So... you just... came to see if I was okay and now you're just gonna walk away?"

"I have to..."

"Why?"

"Because I love you..."

_Why does she keep saying that?_

"You keep saying that. You keep saying that you love me and then you leave me."

She stops and turns to me so I keep talking.

"I, I don't understand how you can do both."

"It's... complicated Dawn."

"Then, explain it to me."

All I get from her is silence.

"I said I was sorry for not telling you about the demon wanting The Key. I said it 4 days ago and you still can't forgive me for it. Why can't you just let it go and forgive me?"

"Because it's not about forgiving you anymore..."

_It's not? But... then..._

"Why aren't we together? Why... why did you pull away when I tried to kiss you?"

Faith takes a deep breath and doesn't look at me when she responds.

"Dawn... I get why you didn't tell me about the demon's motive, I do. You wanted things to go back to normal."

"Yes..."

_She understands. She really understands. I knew she would sooner or later. She always understands me._

"You wanted our lives to go back to normal."

_She understands and she forgives me. Oh god, I wasn't sure that this would ever really happen._

"Yes..."

"But Dawn... I'm not normal."

_What?_

"My life isn't normal. It's never been normal and never will be. Because I'm a slayer..."

_What the hell kind of explanation is that?_

"I know that."

Finally she manages to look back at me.

"Do you? Do you really Dawn?"

"Of course I do."

"Even though you JUST said that you wanted life to be normal?"

"I..."

_I don't know how to answer that._

"A normal life is what you want, isn't it Dawn?"

There's a horrible feeling in my stomach that has nothing to do with being hung over.

"You'd like to have a life without demons and vampires and all the things that I deal with every day, wouldn't you?"

"N... no..."

"Yes, you do Dawn. That's why you wanted to just forget about the demon coming after you. So that everything will go back to normal and we could have our normal life again."

_Why is she saying this? It's... it's not true._

"I just... wanted us to be together without having to worry about some terrible demon that's coming to kill us all. Why is that wrong?"

"It's not wrong... it's just not... normal."

_She keeps talking about being normal like it's important or something._

"So? So what? I... my life isn't normal Faith."

The hurt in her eyes and on her face keeps getting worse with every second that goes by the more I feel like I wanna cry.

"And why is that exactly Dawn? Why don't you have a normal life like everyone else? I've been thinking about it for a few days now and I can't really figure it out. You're not a slayer, or a witch. You weren't destined to fight evil and die a brutal death protecting the world. What the hell are you doing researching and fighting demons?"

_I don't know what I'm supposed to say, partly because she's right and partly because I kinda hate her for saying it._

"I... I don't... I'm not..."

Rather than trying to say nothing, I just shut up.

"Honestly DK, tell me. Because I've spent the past few days wondering that and the only reason I can come up with... is me."

_What?_

"You could have any life you wanted. Be anything you wanted to. But instead you're studying to be a Watcher so you can save the world."

She pauses for a second and I think I'm gonna die if she says anything else.

"That never bothered me before because I knew I'd do anything I could to keep you safe, but with everything that's happened lately, it's starting to bug the hell out of me."

_I can't let her keep talking._

"So then... stop thinking about it. Just... stop and not worry about it."

Faith stares at me for a second before she keeps going.

"I... can't, Dawn. As much as I want to because I wanna be with you so badly, I can't. I love you too much not to."

_What?_

"That doesn't make any SENSE, Faith."

She sighs heavily.

"I know... but it's how I feel."

We look at each other for a while and I don't know what to do or say.

"I'm sorry DK. I want us to be together. Really I do. But I can't seem to give myself a reason it'll work out."

"I... I love you. And you love me... don't you?"

She gets a little offended by the question.

"Of course I do... you know I do."

"Then isn't that enough?"

Again neither of us says anything for a while.

"I want it to be Dawn but it's not. At least, not right now, I'm sorry. But... please, no matter what problems we're having right now... don't go trying to drown it all in a mountain of beer. You're too good for that."

All I can do is look away from her as the stomach problems I'm having get worse.

"You're probably gonna hate me for what I've said, but I want you to know that I'm still hoping we can figure out how to be together and put all this behind us."

I scoff at her for that.

_Yeah, because it really sounds that way from the way she's talking._

"Don't give up on us Dawn, I haven't."

Then she starts heading for the door.

"I'm... I'm gonna go now. All right?"

_Whatever..._

"Yeah that's probably the best thing to do right now."

She grabs the doorknob when she reaches the door, turning back to me for just a second.

"I love you DK."

Instead of responding, I just avoid looking at her while my eyes start welling up with tears. When she doesn't get the response she was looking for, she opens the door and leaves. The door clicks shut and I feel everything fall apart inside me when my knees buckle under me, sending me straight to the floor of the main room.

_I don't understand. How could she do this to me? Oh god..._

My tears start coming and they won't stop, not that I would want them to.

**End of Chapter 24**


End file.
